Dragonborn
by BlazeTheDemidragon
Summary: Out where the clans live,a group of cats call themselves "The Pure Ones". They steal the clans kits and murder the apprentices. Small skirmishes appear and sometimes great battles. No one has been left untouched by this war. The clans recieve a prophecy, one fortelling of four cats to gather help. One of them...is known as the Dragonborn...
1. Prolouge

_**Prologue**_

A lone cat sat out in the open, awaiting another. She looked at the stars, pondering of what would become of her home.

"You summoned me, Stormstar?" Another she-cat spoke, destroying the pleasant silence.

"Yes, Dappleheart. I know that you too, have received the vison." Stormstar tapped a spot next to her with her tail. "Sit here."

Dappleheart did so, and looked at her clan leader with curiosity. It was not often that Stormstar would summon her, normally Dappleheart would be in her den, sorting herbs. But ever since they had come, Dappleheart was more likely to be treating the wounded, than relaxing.

"Dappletail, what do you sense?" Stormstar asked suddenly.

Dappletail closed her eyes. "I smell the forest, ThunderClan forest. I smell the fields where WindClan roams. I hear the quiet chirping of the crickets and hear waves washing up upon the shore. I feel the dirt beneath my paws, and feel your body heat on my pelt. That is what I sense, Stormstar."

"But what is different about nights than days?"

"It's dark."

"Aside from that."

"It's peaceful."

"Ah, good. That is the one thing that is different from the day." Stromstar nodded, satisfied.

"I wish there was peace now." Dappleheart sighed. "Those moons, I've known for a little."

"I've never known them." Stormstar pointed out. "I grew up with this needless bloodshed. I don't even know what peace _is_."

A star streaked across the sky, faintly shining light on the two she-cats. Dappleheart stiffened and relaxed as the star passed. "That was a message from StarClan."

"What did they say?"

"They gave us a new prophecy:

_A hero will arise from the misjudged clan_

_She will be regarded as an outsider, but will harbor no grudge_

_The strength of her soul, her purity of heart_

_Beware, beware_

_The Dragonborn will come_."

Stormstar looked at her, troubled. "'The Dragonborn will come'?"

"It appears so, Stormstar."

"But what is a Dragonborn? Is it a Twoleg word? I've never heard of such a thing."

"Neither have I, though StarClan wouldn't have said such a thing, if it did not exist."

"Then comes other questions. Such as the line 'He will be regarded as an outsider, but will harbor no grudge'. What could that possible mean?"

Dappleheart shook her head. "Stormstar, we must not try to predict the future. In all my years of being ThunderClan's medicine cat, this is the one thing I know for sure to be true. We are in no place to figure out the future. I think you'll find, that if you just let the future come to you, it will all make sense in due time."

Stormstar scrapped her claws across the dirt angrily. "The one thing I've never had, is patience. And sometimes, I do indeed wish I had such a thing."

"Stormstar, patience is not something you are born with. It is something you develop over time, with age." A wind blew through, ruffling both she-cats fur.

Stormstar looked at the sky again, sighing. She got to her paws, lifting her head high. Dappleheart copied her movements.

"I suppose you are correct, Dappleheart. All we can do, is wait."

"Indeed. Now let's get back to the camp. I have cats to tend to and you have a strategy to figure out. Tomorrow, tonight's peace is broken once again, by those ruthless killers."

The two she-cats walked back to the forest, gliding silently through the underbrush and treading down the paw-worn path of the camp. As they went into their den, it seemed like the wind was whispering the prophecy.

_A hero will arise from the misjudged clan_

_She will be regarded as an outsider, but will harbor no grudge_

_The strength of her soul, her purity of heart_

_Beware, beware_

_The Dragonborn will come_


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One:**__ You Found Me_

A lone kit laid on ground, near a stream. She weakly lifted her head, opening her eyes to reveal bright blue eyes. Through her blurry eyesight, she saw a dark shape coming near her.

"Help." She croaked. "Please, help me."

It was pointless. Clearly, the dark shape would not hear her. And the kit knew this. But she hoped, because hoping was all she could do.

"Help. Please, help me."

The dark shape said something the kit couldn't make out. Then it picked up the kit by the scruff. The kit didn't dare to move, but merely closed its eyes, allowing the darkness to take over.

"Is she awake?" A kit's voice spoke.

"Shh, you'll wake her!" Another voice scolded.

"That's what I was asking!" The same kit's voice protested.

Eyes fluttering open, the blue eyes of the weak kit revealed themselves.

"Now you've woken her up!" the voice said exasperatedly. "Out now!"

A brown calico she-cat with amber eyes sat near piles of sweet smelling leaves. She looked at her patient, smiling kindly. "Hello, little one. I'm glad to see you're awake. Would you like some fresh-kill?"

The kit swallowed, feeling the roughness of her throat. "Yes, please." she croaked.

The calico she-cat walked out of the den, and reappeared almost instantly. In her jaws, was a mouse. It smelled delicious. The kit eagerly licked her lips, in anticipation as the calico set the mouse down. Once the kit had her jaws on that mouse, no one was going to take it from her. She purred loudly as she ate, which hurt her throat even more, but she knew no other way to express her gratitude.

By the time she was finished, it was nothing more than bones. The kit, now satisfied, looked at the calico with interest. She hadn't seen a cat in ages, and the calico was extremely friendly and kind. In fact, she had sat next to the kit while she had eaten, just watching her quietly.

"What is your name, little kit?" the calico asked gently.

The kit frowned. "I've never had a name. What's yours?"

"I am Dappleheart, medicine cat of ThunderClan, the place where you now live. It is quite a shame you don't have a name. Names define who you are, after all."

"I wish I had a name as pretty as yours. But I'm not at all pretty like you." The kit looked at her golden fur. One of her paws was more brown than gold, her tail was tipped with a reddish splotch, there was a small heart-shaped marking on her chest that was also reddish, and two little markings on her hind legs that were shaped like bat's wings and were black. She had a light marking over one eye, and another underneath her other eye.

"That is not at all true, little one. Why don't we visit Stormstar? Perhaps she will give you a name." Dappleheart picked up the kit by the scruff, and walked out to the camp. The bright sun momentarily blinded the kit, but soon her eyes adjusted. She noticed other cats, some old, some young and some just middle-aged. Toms and she-cats, the place had plenty of cats.

Some looked curiously at her. Others glared. But most just seemed intent on doing whatever they were doing. A group of cats came inside the camp, coming through a tunnel. They carried fresh-kill in their mouths, and a few glanced in the direction of Dappleheart.

"Hey, Dappleheart!" A tall gray brindled tom approached the medicine cat. She gently set the kit down, who looked at the tom with curious eyes.

"What is it, Graylegs?" Dappleheart asked.

"I got a thorn stuck in my paw when I was chasing a rabbit. I was hoping you could get it out, but I see you got your paws full with that youngster that Darkmoon found." Greylegs glanced at the kit, who shied away, hiding behind one of Dappleheart's legs.

"I'll take care of you in a minute, Graylegs. I promise."

"I believe that much." Graylegs padded off to a couple of other cats, most likely his friends.

Dappleheart picked the kit up again, and went into an opening in the stone wall. Once inside, she dropped the kit on the ground and sat down.

Laying down, was an elegant looking she-cat. She had stormy gray eyes, and a gray pelt with blotches of darker gray that resembled clouds. Her fur was sleek, and as she stretched, she unsheathed her claws, revealing they were long and sharp. She held her chin high and smiled at Dappleheart.

"Is this our new arrival, whom I have heard so much about?" She asked. Even her voice was elegant. It had that note that suggested a storm could erupt at any moment though.

"Yes, Stormstar. She has finally woken, and is in need of a name." Dappleheart replied.

"Interesting. Most of the cats who come here, already have a name. For example, Riverheart."

"True, true. She doesn't though."

"Hmm." Stormstar inspected the kit with a close eye. "I think Brightkit will suit her. After all, when her pelt hits the sunlight, it looks like a little piece of the sun has come into the clan. Is she well enough to go into the nursery?"

"I think so. Thank you Stormstar."

"You are most very welcome. I hope you'll enjoy ThunderClan, little one." Stormstar's voice held a note of sadness. One that Brightkit wished she could find the answer to.

But Dappleheart had picked her up again, and had taken her outside again, taking her to a place that smelled strongly of she-cats and milk. The nursery.

"I'm gonna get you!" Robinkit squealed as he raced after Brightkit.

Brightkit had settled in with his family, which consisted of him, his two sisters; Daisykit and Voiletkit and his mother; Flowerwings. Flowerwings smiled fondly from the shade of the nursery at the two of them playing. Daisykit and Voiletkit didn't like the rough play that Brightkit did. They preferred to stay near their mother and pretend they were queens. At first, Robin had been upset that yet another she-kit was in his family, until Brightkit showed her love of racing and play fighting. Then he warmed up to her, and the two sisters grew cold to her. Well, one of them anyway.

Flowerwings didn't care either way. She'd had another tom before Brighkit's arrival, but he had died. So Brightkit was her forth kit in a way.

"You can't catch me!" Brightkit said, putting on a burst of speed. She was way ahead of him, until she ran into a dark shape. Robinkit slowed down behind her.

"Watch where you're going!" the dark shape snarled.

Brightkit looked up into angry orange eyes. She scrambled to her paws, Robinkit finally catching up. His blackish eyes widened in fear, and his ears flattened.

"We're sorry, Darkmoon. Brightkit didn't mean to run into you. We were just playing." Robinkit explained.

"You're Darkmoon?" Brightkit blurted out.

Robinkit gave Brightkit a look like _What are you doing, mousebrain?! Let's get out of here before he gets angry!_

Darkmoon looked down at Brightkit, his orange eyes still angry. "Yes, I am. What about it?"

"I heard from Graylegs that you were the one who rescued me. So I wanted to say thanks. For saving me."

Darkmoon rolled his eyes. "A warriors duties consist of helping kits and queens in need. I was merely preforming my duty. No need to make it seem like I saved you from a Dark Forest cat. Now, go back to your mother and don't get underfoot of other warriors again!"

Brightkit stared as he walked away.

"He's always like that." Robinkit whispered.

"Why?" Brightkit eased her way into sitting.

"He was 'Darkpaw' before you came around. He got his warrior name because he saved you."

"That's not much of an excuse."

"He's a warrior." Robinkit shrugged. "Warriors are usually arrogant."

"I'll say." both kits jumped at the sight of a dark gray apprentice. She blew the fur that kept covering her amber eyes, and smiled. "The name's Owlpaw."

"I'm Brightkit."

"I know who you are. Everyone talks about you in the apprentice den. Besides, that was my brother you just spoke to. He's an old badger, but he can be fun." Owlpaw had no markings unlike her tabby brother. And she was definitely fluffier. Her fur looked like a wind had ruffled it. Twigs, leaves and other things were tangled in it.

"They do?" Brightkit asked shyly, looking to her paws.

"Of course. You're the unknown kit, to us. Found over by the border of WindClan and ours. Which brings up the question if you're one of Breezestar's kits. His mate lost her kits a few moons ago."

"Robinkit, Brightkit! It's time to sleep!" Flowerwing called. The orange queen stood expectantly, waiting for the two of them to hurry.

"Coming, Flowerwing!" Robinkit called. He got to his paws. "Well, it was nice talking to you, Owlpaw. I hope you get your warrior name soon."

"I've been training as long as Darkmoon. I deserve to get my warrior name by now." The fluffy gray apprentice muttered.

Robinkit and Brightkit rushed off to Flowerwing, leaving the she-cat muttering to herself as she approached the apprentice den. Flowerwing curled her tail around the two as they padded inside. Violetkit glared at the two.

"Its about time you got in here. I was starting to think that snake that all the elders are always talking about, ate you." Violetkit sniffed.

"Voiletkit," Flowerwing said warningly.

"C'mon, let's sleep." Daisykit suggested. She was more peaceful than her sister.

Flowerwing curled around her kits protectively, smiling as she laid her head down. Daisykit and Violetkit curled around each other. Robinkit laid down and pressed against his mother. Brightkit joined him, enjoying the warmth they shared.

Brightkit looked at misty trees and starry hunting grounds. A shape was emerging from all the mist. A she-cat with blue fur and blue eyes. Stars glimmered beneath her pelt. She smiled at Brightkit and sat down.

"I am Bluestar. I was once, the leader of ThunderClan, long ago. Now I am a warrior of StarClan. Welcome, Brightkit."

The only thing Brightkit could think to say, was "Am I dead?"

Bluestar chuckled. "No, little one. I cannot stay long, so you must listen carefully. You are listening, right?"

Brightkit nodded.

"You, are destined for greatness. You must know that the clans are in trouble, and a great threat has been kitnapping several kits almost every moon. You will stop this threat, and bring a long era of peace."

"I will?" Brightkit cocked her head.

"I must go little one." Bluestar started to fade. "When you awake, you will remember nothing."

"Wait! Please don't go!" Brightkit tried to race after the StarClan she-cat, but felt her paws becoming heavy with sleep. She stumbled and fell, falling into blackness once more.

"ROBINKIT!" Flowerwing's terrified scream echoed throughout the camp. Brightkit awoke to the wailing cries of Robinkit, who was in the jaws of a massive tom. Another tom cuffed Flowerwing hard, knocking her out. He was speckled with drops of blood. Two bloody bodies; Voiletkit and Daisykit laid at his paws. Brightkit couldn't tell if they were still alive. He looked at her, suddenly interested.

"RUN, BRIGHTKIT! RUN!" Robinkit screamed at her.

Brightkit backed against the wall where the nursery ended. A dark shape hurled across the den, materializing into Darkmoon. He growled, standing in front of Brightkit protectively. When the tom, speckled with blood, leaped at him, Darkmoon was ready. He easily pinned him to the ground and sunk his fangs into the toms neck. Blood spurted out, splattering on to the leaves of the nursery. Robinkit and the tom who had held him, was gone.

"Robinkit..." Brightkit whimpered, as she sunk to the ground.

Darkmoon turned to her, and approached. His pelt was stained with splatters of blood, his paws covered in the stuff and his mouth thoroughly stained, or so it seemed. He spoke in a kind voice, though. Even if it was a bit gruff.

"Come on, Brightkit. Let's get you to Dappleheart's den."

"What...what happened to Daisykit and Voiletkit?" Brightkit managed as she got to her paws and followed the young tom.

"Both are dead. You're the only one they didn't take."

Brightkit's legs seemed to collapse underneath her. Darkmoon easily picked her up by her scruff. The tears on Brightkit's face would not dry, for several moons.


	3. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two**_**:**_ Broken Inside_

Brightkit awoke in the medicine cat den. Rising to her paws, she saw Flowerwing laying down, with her eyes wide open. They were clouded, not bright green like they usually were. And when Brightkit brushed her pelt against her adopted mothers, she didn't even stir.

"She won't react to you, Brightkit." Dappleheart was beside her at once. The brown calico she-cat, who normally looked young now looked many moons older. Her pelt was unkempt and she smelled of herbs.

"Why won't she?" Brightkit asked.

"She's broken. Losing all of her blood-related kits is hard on a mother, especially a young one, like Flowerwing."

"I'm still here." Brightkit reminded her.

"It doesn't matter. She thinks she's lost all of her kits. Therefore, she won't be able to take care of you any more. I think I'll give her some herbs for her grieving and try to find you a new mother."

"There are no nursing or expecting mothers."

"Exactly. Which means you will have to eat fresh-kill and I will have to find you a caretaker."

"Why can't you take care of me?"

Dappleheart paused, then turned away, looking for herbs. "Oh, you wouldn't want to live with me. I'm always busy and I'm not exactly 'mother material'. Not to mention I'm not exactly young anymore…."

"I don't mind. You took care of me when Darkmoon found me."

"That's because you were my responsibility. I had to make sure you were okay."

"But why not now?"

Dappleheart hissed in frustration. "Because you have nothing wrong with you. I don't even understand why The Pure Ones didn't kill you or take you!"

Brightkit looked at her, tears leaking back into her eyes. "So you're saying that it'd be better if these 'Pure Ones' took me. I get it. I'm useless."

"No, no, little one. I never meant that. I'm just under a lot of pressure. I never meant to snap at you." Dappleheart stepped forward, her eyes apologetic.

Brightkit slowly backed away, finally turning and running. She was just a blur through the camp. she darted through the tunnel, running hard until she came to a place where a stream ran. It was the place Darkmoon had found her.

Brightkit collapsed and sobbed into her paws. She didn't even notice a misty shape approaching her, 'til a paw gently rubbed her back. A starry she-cat with wild gray fur and sharp yellow eyes gazed at her. She didn't look in sympathy, nor hatred. Just a look that said _tough it up, kit_. But she continued to stroke her with her paw. eventually, Brightkit calmed down enough for the she-cat to speak.

"I am Yellowfang. I was once a medicine cat of ShadowClan, but then I joined ThunderClan to be their medicine cat. I am now, a member of StarClan."

"Am I dreaming?" Brightkit asked.

"No, you are awake. It was decided that I should go down to speak with you. That is, if you're smart enough to hear what I have to say."

Brightkit waited for the she-cat to say whatever she wanted to say. when she didn't, Brightkit answered. "I guess I'm smart enough. Dappleheart suspects I'm only four moons old though."

"Age doesn't matter, kit. Your soul is wise enough to understand many things. And your mind would be capable of doing so, if you'd grow up!" Yellowfang said, rolling her eyes.

Brightkit fell silent. Yellowfang had a sharp tongue. Compared to the other warriors, she could probably take them all out with not her claws, but her speech.

"Anyway," Yellowfang continued. "You can't run from the past. Or your destiny. It's something I learned, long ago. I hope you, mousebrain, can learn this quickly. Mainly because its a life lesson you need to learn quickly if you're to survive."

"Brightkit! BRIGHTKIT!" Owlpaw's voice echoed through the woods.

"Remind me again, _why_ I bother to bring you looking for a kit?" Darkmoon's voice sounded.

"Because I've got owl eyes." Owlpaw reminded him.

"More like a monsters roar." He scoffed.

The two cat's were just beginning to come into view. Yellowfang rose quickly and turned even more transparent.

"Don't tell your friends I was here. Just pretend I was never here." she whispered, and disappeared with a gush of the wind.

"There she is!" Owlpaw yowled. Both siblings raced over to her. "Boy, am I glad to see you! We've been looking for you for, like, forever!"

"It was not forever, we set out when it was sunhigh. The sun has barely shifted, you mousebrain." Darkmoon rolled his eyes.

"The point is, we're glad to have found you. You little bugger! Dappleheart nearly sent the clan into a panic, she made it sound so urgent. I was training and you interrupted it, you little shrew!" Owlpaw said, batting Brightpaw's ears gently.

"I'm sorry. I got really upset and just lost my head, I guess."

"It doesn't matter." Darkmoon said impatiently. "Let's get back to camp, before they organize another searching party for the searching party."

The three cats walked in silence. and though she didn't speak, nor show herself, Brightkit had a feeling Yellowfang was watching her.

…

When they walked into the camp, several cats had relieved looks on their faces. A few even walked up to the searching party and congratulated them. But possibly the loudest and most noticeable thing that occurred, was Dappleheart's yowling.

The medicine cat burst into view, her eyes full of anger and all of it was directed to Brightkit. The golden kit shrunk as Dappleheart approached her.

"IF YOU _EVER_ LEAVE THE CAMP LIKE THAT AGAIN, I WILL BIND YOU WITH COBWEBS AND LEAVE A WARRIOR TO WATCH YOU AT ALL TIME! DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE? YOU'VE CAUSED THE ENTIRE CLAN TROUBLE AND CAUSED ME TO WORRY!" Dappleheart yowled as she approached.

"I'm...I'm really sorry, Dappleheart. I never meant to-" Brightkit's apology was broken off, by Dappleheart drawing Brightkit close, as she sat down. When Dappleheart finally let the she-kit up to show her that she was crying.

Some cat coughed. Brightkit identified it as Graylegs.

"Well, uh...Why don't we all get back to todays work?" He suggested awkwardly.

A few cat's murmur in agreement. Dappleheart rose to her paws. "Come, let's get some fresh-kill in you. Then let's get you cleaned up."

Brightkit followed her example and walked by her side as the two she-cats went back into the medicine cat den.

…

"Brightkit, you have reached the age of six moons, therefore it is time for you to be apprenticed." Stormstar's voice echoed throughout the camp. Brightkit, herself was trembling in excitement. She'd waited two moons for this to happen. During that time, Dawnwhisker had given birth to two kits. All through that time, she'd lived with Dappleheart, helping her tend to warriors and her adopted mother, who watched with glazed eyes from the Elders den. Dappleheart herself, watched proudly from the center of gathered clanmates. "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Brightpaw. Your mentor will be Darkmoon. I expect that Darkmoon with pass down everything he knows to you."

Brightpaw blinked. she had never expected Darkmoon to mentor her. He always acted like he hated her anyway.

"Darkmoon, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Lunareye, and you have shown yourself to be brave and an honorable warrior. A notable thing you possess, is being the descendant of Bramblestar himself, whose father was the evil Tigerstar. Regardless, Bramblestar's loyalty was always to ThunderClan, and not to his father. I do hope, that you pass on everything you know to Brightpaw." Stormstar crouched, waiting for Brightpaw to touch noses.

_Walk, don't run_ she instructed herself. Brightkit walked slowly and proudly to her waiting leader, and respectively touched noses with her.

"Brightpaw!" The cat's below chanted. "Brightpaw!" "Brightpaw!" "Brightpaw!"

Dappleheart smiled proudly from where she sat. Once Stormstar went back to her den, the group of cat's disbanded. Dappleheart and Darkmoon were the only ones who lingered.

Brightpaw ran up to Dappleheart and rubbed her head against the medicine cat's shoulder. "Did I do well, Dappleheart?"

"You did better than any apprentice I've ever seen at a ceremony. I'm so proud of you, Bright_paw_" Dappleheart replied.

Brightpaw giggled.

"You'll be sleeping with the apprentices tonight. Now go with your mentor. it's bad manners to keep him waiting!" Dappleheart scolded playfully.

Brightpaw gave Dappleheart's shoulder a quick lick before scurrying over to Darkmoon, whose orange eyes were annoyed. Once Brightpaw stood in front of her new mentor, she realize how big he was. He had powerful shoulders, a gaze that betrayed no emotion and a long tail that rippled impatiently.

"Are you ready to start our first lesson?" he asked, his deep voice making Brightpaw shiver unintentionally.

"Yes, Darkmoon." Brightpaw replied.

"Then follow me. If you can." Darkmoon's eyes glittered with mystery as he suddenly turned into a blur of darkness. The blur raced out of the camp entrance, making the leaves at the entrance rustle as if a powerful wind has swept through and not a cat.

Brightpaw raced after him, finding it hard to catch up. She had spent most of her time around sick and injured cats, not playing at all. So she was a little out of shape. Regardless, she knew she wouldn't be able to catch up with her mentor with purely strength. she was strong enough or fast enough. Nor would she be able to find him just relying on sight. She thought quickly of her other senses she could use to track him.

_Scent!_ she thought to herself _I'll follow his scent!_

She inhaled deeply, drinking in his scent easily. He was upwind of her. Whether or not he knew or cared, was another matter entirely. She was tiring quickly though. She'd either have to somehow gain a burst of energy so she could catch up or use some other method. She went with the second option and looked around at her surroundings. Up ahead, was a tree that had fallen over but was leaning on another one. If she could get into the trees, then perhaps she could land on his back and stop him.

She put on an extra burst of speed, regaining ground she'd lost while she was planning. She turned and ran up the tree, focusing on speed more than balance, which seemed to work more than doing it the opposite way around. Once she was in the tree, she found herself running right alongside Darkmoon, just higher up. she glanced up ahead, and saw that there was a break in the trees, too far for her to jump. Better now, than never.

she leaped, squarely on his shoulders. Fortunately, it wasn't much of a height, so she felt fine as he stumbled and fell.

She immediately got off of him when he began to get up. She backed away as he began to walk towards her, slowly, as he panted.

"I'm sorry, I just-" Brightpaw began to apologize but was cut off once again by Darkmoon.

"How...how did you do that?" He panted.

"What do you mean?" she asked, clearly confused.

"That...You...jumped on my back and brought me down. How?"

Brightpaw begin to explain her plan to Darkmoon. He sat down half way through and gradually, his breathing slowed.

Once Brightpaw stopped, he rose to his paws. "That was amazing. You not only thought it through while running, but you actually preformed your idea! Not many warriors would be able to do what you've done today. You've impressed me, Brightpaw."

Brightpaw looked at her paw, embarrassed. "All I did was plan out a strategy while running…."

"Exactly. Not many cats can keep up with me. You're not excluded. But unlike every cat, you actually thought of another way, instead of using brute force."

Brightpaw looked at him blankly.

Darkmoon rolled his eyes and padded over to her, brushing his pelt against hers. "You'll understand some day. Now let's get back to the camp. It's sunset, and the clan will be wondering where we are.

…

Once they got back, Darkmoon instructed Brightpaw to take a piece of fresh-kill and go to the apprentice den. She did as he told her to, and went over to the apprentice den, and looked around for some cats she knew.

Owlpaw noticed her and waved her tail. "Hey, hey Brightpaw! Over here!"

Brightpaw carried her vole over to Owlpaw and her friends. She sat down next to the fluffy dark gray apprentice and began to eat her prey.

"Hey guys, remember that kit that my badger of a brother brought in? Well this is her! My pal, Brightpaw."

A silvery she-cat waved her tail at her shyly. "Hi, I'm Silverpaw."

"I'm Nettlepaw." a brown tom with black markings said.

"The names Lakepaw." said a blue tom.

"I'm Starkpaw." a white she-cat said.

"And you already know my name." said Owlpaw teasingly. "Or at least, you should!"

Brightpaw swallowed her mouthful of her squirrel and smiled. "Owlpaw told me I was known here."

"Just because you're known and gossiped about, doesn't mean you're welcomed." a deep voice growled behind her. The other apprentice's eyes narrowed and Nettlepaw unsheathed his claws. Brightpaw turned to be facing a big apprentice. He had a nick in his left ear and a brown tiger striped pelt. His eyes, were an icy blue.

"What do you want, Hawkpaw?" Nettlepaw growled.

Hawkpaw glared at Nettlepaw. "Nothing, brother of mine. I simply am trying to put this rogue in her proper place." Hawkpaw walked off to rejoin his friends.

"Just because he and I share the same parents." Nettlepaw muttered, sheathing his claws again. "Does _not_ mean I claim him as my brother."

"You two are related?" Brightpaw asked.

"Blood-related? Yes. By choice? No." Nettlepaw replied.

"Are you going to finish that squirrel?" Lakepaw asked, eying the half eaten squirrel.

Brightpaw took one last bite then pushed it towards him.

"Thanks." the blue tom said with a mouthful.

Brightpaw nodded.

Owlpaw gave a wide yawn. "C'mon, you furballs. Let's get to sleep already. Pineclaw told me I was going to have an assessment in the morning." The dark gray apprentice got up and padded into the apprentice den. Silverpaw, Nettlepaw and Starkpaw rose to follow her. Lakepaw gulped down the rest of the squirrel and raced after them. He turned to meet Brightpaw's gaze.

"Are you coming or what?" he asked.

Brightpaw rose and trotted over to his side. The two cats went into the apprentice den.

In there, All of the apprentices were settling in a bed. Lakepaw went to his, which was next to Silverpaws. Next to Owlpaws nest, was an empty one.

"Brightpaw, you can have this nest, next to me!" Owlpaw called over.

Brightpaw went to her friend and sniffed at her new nest. It smelled faintly of Darkmoon.

"My brother slept here before. I hope you don't mind his scent." Owlpaw explained.

Brightpaw shook her head. "No, it's okay. He is my mentor, after all."

"It's so weird being friends with my brothers apprentice. I always imagined I'd be a warrior before you came here. Guess ol' Pineclaw thinks I'm not ready, eh?"

"Hey Owlpaw! Shut your muzzle. You're the one who said they needed sleep, and yet you're talking to that rouge!" Hawkpaw called out. His friends all laughed.

"Hey Hawkpaw! With your big mouth, we'll never be able to sleep, much less talk!" Starkpaw called back. Owlpaw and the others laughed. No one laughed on Hawkpaw's side.

Lakepaw rolled his eyes and whispered. "They're a bunch of mousebrains. Don't listen to them. Just go to sleep."

Brightpaw nodded gratefully and closed her eyes. Both Owlpaw's and Lakepaw's pelts pressed into hers, sharing their warmth. For once, Brightpaw did not dream. Her sleep was peaceful and quiet.


	4. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three**_**:** _You're The Only One Who Shares My Pain_

Brightpaw crouched behind some bushes. She kept glancing up at trees and looking into shadows, hoping to catch a glimpse of orange eyes or the black tabby pelt of her mentor. A few pawsteps in front of her, was her prey; a mouse. It was nibbling on a leaf, completely unaware of her presence.

_Focus_ she reminded herself _This assessment is important._

The mouse suddenly tensed and sniffed the air. Before it had the chance to run, Brightpaw jumped and killed it easily with a nip to the spine. She heard a rustle of leaves and scented the air to detected what it was. Rabbit. She quickly buried her mouse and began to stalk her next target. The rabbit was healthy and young. It was also huge. It crouched near a clump of grass, completely unaware of her.

Brightpaw got ready to spring when a loud noise startled it. Determined not to let it get away, she raced after it, the border with WindClan coming into sight. A WindClan patrol also came into sight. Brightpaw put on a burst of speed, swerving to cut off the rabbit before it could hop over the border.

It panicked. Brightpaw didn't. She sunk her claws into its hide and killed it with almost the same quickness that she had, the mouse.

Meanwhile, the WindClan patrol came racing up. An apprentice ran across the border, causing Brightpaw to hiss in anger.

"THAT WAS WINDCLAN PREY, YOU PREY-STEALER!" The WindClan apprentice yowled.

"Was not! I caught this rabbit on _ThunderClan_ territory. Which makes it _ThunderClan_ prey, you blind badger." Brightpaw shot back, pleased that she could finally use one of Owlpaw's insults.

"Nonsense! Everyone knows that ThunderClan hunts woodland creatures. Not moor creatures!"

"Maybe you should get your eyes checked, you miserable _kit_!"

"BRIGHTPAW!" A blur of darkness materialized into Darkmoon. "You didn't cross the border, did you?"

"No, Darkmoon." Brightpaw replied. "I caught this on _our_ territory. And then _he_ came on to _our_ territory to falsely accuse me of prey-stealing."

"FALCONPAW!" A WindClan warrior roared. The patrol stepped to the edge of the border. "GET OVER HERE THIS INSTANT! Can't you clearly see that ThunderClan has better things to do, than chase off a new apprentice?"

Falconpaw muttered something Brightpaw couldn't make out, then went over to the WindClan side of the border.

"I am so sorry, Darkmoon." The WindClan warrior who had yowled at Falconpaw said. "Falconpaw just got apprenticed a few sunrises ago. He is an inexperienced apprentice, and I apologize for him causing trouble with you and your apprentice."

Darkmoon dipped his head. "It's okay, Gatorpelt. Just please teach him to keep his paws on his own territory and leave ThunderClan apprentice's alone when they have assessments to complete."

"Don't worry, Darkmoon. He will be properly punished." Gatorpelt's light green eyes betrayed the anger that his voice hid.

Darkmoon nodded towards Brightpaw, signaling she could pick up her rabbit. Brightpaw picked up her catch and followed her mentor into the trees again. Once they were out of earshot of the WindClan patrol, Darkmoon allowed his anger to run freely. He cursed Falconpaw heavily and when he was finally calm, he looked at Brightpaw.

"That's a good catch. How did you ever manage to catch it?"

Brightpaw dropped the rabbit. Ever since their first lesson, Darkmoon had taken her out to run nearly every day. And when they weren't running, Darkmoon was filling her with the stories of the clans. He told her about his ancestor; Bramblestar, about Tigerstar and about Squirrelflight. He also told her of Bluestar and Yellowfang. She had to literally bite down on her tongue whenever he mentioned them. Another thing he had taught her was how to fight. But mostly they focused on speed. Due to their many runs, she had built up her endurance and speed greatly.

"I scented it, waited, then ran after it. When it approached the WindClan border, I began to cut it off. When I killed it, Falconpaw accused me of stealing prey." Brightpaw explained.

"So you _have_ improved with your speed." Darkmoon nodded thoughtfully. "Good, good. Let's gather up your prey and head back to the camp. No use continuing the assessment after that little scene."

Brightpaw flattened her ears. "I sort of...buried it in a bunch of places."

Darkmoon raised an eyebrow. "How much did you exactly catch?"

"Two squirrels, a thrush, three mice and a vole."

Darkmoon sighed. "I'll carry half of your prey. But just this once."

"Okay. Thanks, Darkmoon!" Brightpaw gave a quick and small lick on her mentors shoulder.

Darkmoon smiled wearily. "No problem."

…

When the two cat's walked back into camp, several warriors gathered to congratulate Darkmoon on catching the rabbit. When Darkmoon dropped his load, he shook his head.

"No, I didn't catch any of this. This was all caught by Brightpaw."

"No way did she catch that much!" Hawkpaw said from the front. His best friend; a black she-cat with leaf green eyes, named Venompaw, nodded.

"She did though." Darkmoon replied. "Don't you have to get back to Birchear?"

Hawkpaw flattened his ears, and muttered something Brightpaw couldn't make out. He walked over to where a tall, lithe, white with black markings, tom was waiting.

Brightpaw felt the presence of another cat approaching. It was just Graylegs, who looked at the fresh-kill with wide eyes.

"So you caught all this?" He asked Brightpaw.

"Yes."

Graylegs nodded respectfully. "I don't think you're that same helpless kit that Darkmoon found and Dappleheart took to Stormstar to receive a name."

"Brightpaw, put the rest of the prey down and grab yourself some fresh-kill. Come with me, I want to introduce you to some cats. And could you please get my squirrel brained sister?" Darkmoon said, his voice muffled because of the thrush he was carrying.

"Okay, Darkmoon." Brightpaw pushed the prey she'd dropped on the ground into the fresh-kill pile, selected a vole and walked to the apprentice den.

Owlpaw was sitting next to Nettlepaw and Silverpaw. Silverpaw was sharing her robin with Nettlepaw.

_Robinkit…_ A flood of memories threatened to sweep Brightpaw off her paws, like a fierce river. She swallowed hard, approaching the apprentices.

"Are you kidding me? I'm still trying to figure out _why_ The Pure Ones didn't take her. Or why they didn't just kill her. If you think about it, they took Robinkit and killed Voiletkit and Daisykit. If they did that, so easily, why didn't they finish _her_ off, or take her?" Nettlepaw was saying.

"I don't know." Silverpaw said in her sweet, gentle tone. "Maybe Flowerwing put up a fight against her. Or maybe they just didn't notice her."

"How could they _not_ notice her? She's got golden fur, for StarClan's sake!" Nettlepaw argued.

"I still don't know why my brother, out of all the cats here, keeps on saving her." Owlpaw said, shaking her head. "I don't know how he knows when she needs help, nor do I know why Stormstar chose _him_ to be her mentor."

"Seems long ago, but really it's only been a couple of moons since he was was an apprentice and was sleeping in the apprentice den." Nettlepaw sighed.

"This is a terrible time to be having kits." Silverpaw sighed. "If The Pure Ones weren't around, I'd consider having them once I'm a warrior, but...there's no guarantee they'd be safe."

Nettlepaw drapped his tail over Silverpaw's back. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

"Please do not make promises that you cannot keep."Silverpaw said, leaning against him.

The apprentices finally seemed to notice that Brightpaw was standing right in front of them. Owlpaw rose to her paws, her ears flattened in embarrassment.

"Hey, uh...When'd you get here?" She asked.

"Oh, only a few minutes ago." Brightpaw lied.

Owlpaw relaxed, just a bit. "Oh, okay. So are you gonna sit down or what?"

"No. Um, actually, Darkmoon wanted you and I to meet him to...meet some cats." Brightpaw replied.

Owlpaw flicked an ear, clearly irritated. "Okay. Let me know when my brother stops sending his apprentice as a messenger."

"C'mon. Please?"

Owlpaw shrugged. "If I don't come back, assume my brother has fed me to a badger."

"Will do." Nettlepaw replied.

Owlpaw picked up her mouse and followed Brightpaw to Darkmoon. Darkmoon was sitting with three cats; an Elder who had a brown pelt with white markings and aqua blue eyes. She waited with kind eyes. A tom with orange-green eyes and a pelt of black nodded. He bore many scars and his claws were cutting his vole into smaller strips. And the third cat, was a fluffy gray tabby she-cat. She had amber eyes and looked so similar to Darkmoon and Owlpaw, Brightpaw thought they must be related in some way.

"Brightpaw, I'd like you to meet Riverheart, Shadowfox and Ghostheart." Darkmoon meowed.

Owlpaw rolled her eyes. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd introduce her to our family."

"Owlpaw," Shadowfox said warningly. "It's rude to say things like that."

Owlpaw huffed indignantly. She flopped down and continued eating her mouse.

Darkmoon gestured with his tail to Brightpaw, for her to lay next to him. Brightpaw did as he asked and Riverheart smiled at her.

"So you are the young apprentice that I've heard so much about from Stormstar. Her words have not exaggerated you at all." The brown she-cat said.

"Indeed. It is rather interesting that Stormstar chose you to be the apprentice of my son." Shadowfox said, nodding.

"I wish you both wouldn't say things, as if she isn't here. She's well aware of our presence." Ghostheart said, flicking her tail.

Riverheart flattened her ears in apology. "I'm so sorry. It's been awhile since I've taken interest in a particular apprentice."

"Riverheart?" An old gray tom padded towards the group. "Why are you over here?"

"Darkmoon requested that I meet his apprentice." Riverheart explained. "If you'd like, you can join us, Stoneclaw."

Stoneclaw nodded and laid next to Riverheart.

Darkmoon cleared his voice. "My...uh...my parents are Shadowfox and Ghostheart. Ghostheart is actually the daughter of Riverheart and Stoneclaw, making them my grandparents. Ghostheart lived with Twolegs for awhile, so she knows a lot of Twoleg words and taught the words to Owlpaw and I. Shadowfox is the descendant of Bramblestar. That's where we think my tabby stripes come from; the blood of Bramblestar himself. There hasn't been a tabby tom in the family for many, many moons. And I'm sure you met Nettlepaw and Hawkpaw. Those two are the sons of Dawnclaw; another daughter of Riverheart and Stoneclaw. For some strange reason though, Hawkpaw has the tabby coat and Nettlepaw doesn't. It makes no sense, but then again, life doesn't make sense. Do you know anything about your own parents?"

Brightpaw blinked, then took a mouthful of her vole, swallowed and then began to talk. "No, I don't remember anything about my mother or my father. Whether or not I had littermates, remains to be seen. Why are you interested?"

Darkmoon looked at the ground, embarrassed. "I'm kind of interest in bloodlines and such. Whenever I find out a certain cat was related to another cat, then I find it extremely fascinating."

Owlpaw swallowed her last piece of mouse. "Yeah. As you can see, my badger of a brother, has brain. Although, I do think he loses it when he's around you sometimes." While Owlpaw rose to her paws, Shadowfox gave an annoyed snort and Darkmoon glared at her.

"Well, I'm off to bed. Pineclaw said I'd need plenty of sleep for tomorrow's Gathering. I guess you'll be in later." Owlpaw announced.

Brightpaw nodded as the fluffy gray apprentice headed to the apprentice den.

"That reminds me," Darkmoon said, getting to his paws as well.

Brightpaw decided to follow his example, just in case.

"You need your sleep as well. I've decided that because you brought in so much fresh-kill, not to mention caught that rabbit, that you can go to the Gathering tomorrow."

Brightpaw nearly jumped up in the air, out of excitement. Lakepaw had told her all about Gatherings. They were a time when all the clans went to the island, under the truce of the full moon and shared news. The older apprentices had all been at least once, and Hawkpaw was forever taunting her for never going because she was 'an outsider', and therefore, Stormstar didn't trust her.

"Really?" she asked excitedly.

Darkmoon rolled his eyes. "I thought you had good hearing. Now go to the apprentices den."

Brightpaw raced over to it, the sun setting, making the shadows of the camp walls cover large patches of ground in their shadows.

When she burst into the den, Hawkpaw hissed. "I was sleeping, you shrew-head! Until your stench came through."

"Oh, shut your muzzle, Hawkpaw. Did something get into that shrew you were eating or something?" Lakepaw came up behind Brightpaw.

"Oh, everyone knows _why_ you defend her." Hawkpaw sneered.

"Go to sleep, you old fox-hearted, shrew-brained, idiot!" Owlpaw's voice rang out clearly. "You complained about be awakened. Just go to sleep!"

Hawkpaw muttered something, but eventually dozed off.

Brightpaw and Lakepaw padded to their nests. Owlpaw opened one eye and smiled. She mouthed the word "You're welcome." 

Brightpaw blinked appreately. Owlpaw closed her eye and her breathing deepened.

Once Brightpaw laid down, she felt a tail go around her back. She opened one eye, and looked at Lakepaw questioningly. He didn't reply, but simply moved a bit closer to her. Brightpaw found she didn't have the energy to argue.

…

"OWLPAW, GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!" Brightpaw winced at the yowling of Pineclaw; Owlpaw's mentor. Brightpaw had been respectfully walking next to her mentor, who was talking to Shadowfox; who not only was his father, but was Lakepaw's mentor _and_ deputy of ThunderClan, when a flash of a furry dark gray tail had shot past her, racing to where Stormstar led the group of ThunderClan cats who had been chosen for the Gathering.

Owlpaw materialized, a few fox lengths ahead of Stormstar. She looked at Pineclaw with annoyed eyes. Then she ran back, just a blur of dark gray fur and once again, solidified into Owlpaw. Pineclaw cuffed her on her ears.

"How many times," he growled. "Do I have to tell you to stay by my side?"

"I don't know." Owlpaw replied. "When do I get to become a warrior?"

"The day you listen to me, then maybe I'll suggest it to Stormstar."

Lakepaw rolled his eyes and darted over to Brightpaw's side. "She's been asking that for moons."

"How long have you been an apprentice?" Brightpaw asked curiously.

"About three moons." he replied. "I got apprenticed the day before you were found. Owlpaw and Darkmoon were considered senior apprentices, having been apprenticed four moons before that."

Brightpaw nodded. A sudden thought came to her mind. She remembered the discussion that Nettlepaw, Silverpaw and Owlpaw had. There was only one apprentice who'd probably give her the information she seeked without prying questions.

"Hey, Lakepaw?" she asked quietly. Darkmoon and Shadowfox weren't paying any attention to the two apprentices conversation.

Lakepaw pricked his ears. "What is it, Brightpaw?"

"Can you tell me anything about," Brightpaw lowered her voice to a whisper. "The Pure Ones?"

Lakepaw looked around, making sure no one was listening. Then he leaned in closer to her.

"The Pure Ones are the cats who kitnapped Robinkit and killed his siblings. They've been kitnapping kits for several moons now, and even killing apprentices. I heard Darkmoon got attacked by them once, but beat them off. I heard he even lost his brother to them. He was too young to remember it, but the Elders are the most gossipy cats in camp. No one knows why they do it, although Riverheart speculates that The Pure Ones are some cats left over from this group called The Legion. All we know is, they don't follow the warrior code, and they despise the clans."

Brightpaw shuddered at the memory of Violetkit's and Daisykit's torn-up bodies. The memory of Robinkit's terrified eyes seemed fresh in her mind. And she remembered Robinkit's screaming; urging her to run. She wished she could reply those events. Now, she could properly defend her adopted brother, with the fighting skills that Darkmoon had taught her.

Lakepaw looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stir up bad memories."

"It's fine." Brightpaw murmured.

"If it makes you feel better, pretty much everyone in the clan has lost someone dear to them. I think that The Pure Ones are trying to spread grief throughout the clan, by targeting cats who have a lot of meaning. That way, when they want to wipe us out completely, we'll be so burdened with grief that-"

"LAKEPAW, YOU VERY WELL KNOW THAT IS A FORBIDDEN TOPIC!" Shadowfox yowled angrily. "When we get back, you will be taking care of the Elders for two moons!"

Lakepaw looked at the ground, ashamed. To Brightpaw's surprise, he took the blame, not pointing out that she was the one who asked him.

"We're approaching the island." Darkmoon murmured to her.

And sure enough, up ahead was a island, with the silhouette of a fallen tree connecting the island to the mainland. Stormstar easily leaped onto the tree trunk and crossed it, the rest of the group following her.

_It's just like our daily runs._ Brightpaw thought to herself. _Just focus on speed more than balance._

Once, during an assessment to see how well she could balance on tree branches, it was proved that she could not balance at all and that speed was the one thing that allowed her to catch squirrels.

Soon, it was Brightpaws turn. She backed up, hearing a murmur of confusion from the cats behind her, but she heard nothing from Darkmoon. She sprinted up the tree trunk, running across it easily and landing on her paws lightly. A couple of skinny cats that smelled of the moor; WindClan, do doubt, looked at her strangely.

Darkmoon was beside her, a few mousebeats later. He glared at the WindClan warriors, who disappeared into the cats that had gathered. Once the rest of the group had crossed on to the island, they merged into the group of cats assembled.

Darkmoon knelt down. "A Gathering is a perfect opportunity to meet other apprentices. Why don't you do that?" he suggested.

Brightpaw nodded. As Darkmoon disappeared into the crowd, his sister took his place.

"C'mon, I wanna find Lakepaw and go see the apprentices from the other clans." she meowed.

Brightpaw and Owlpaw found Lakepaw speaking to a RiverClan apprentice, who must have been new, because she acted as nervous as Brightpaw felt.

"And there she is now." Lakepaw said, glancing warmly in her direction.

"Were you talking about Brightpaw again, you old furball?" Owlpaw asked.

"NO" Lakepaw said loudly. His ears flattened in embarrassment. "Well...maybe a little bit."

"Oh, please." Owlpaw rolled her eyes. "I think every cat in the apprentice den knows it by now. You should just come out and say that you lik-"

There was a horrible wailing noise and a warrior near the apprentices fell down; dead. All chaos broke through. A huge dark tiger striped tom leaped at the RiverClan apprentice that Lakepaw had been speaking to, only moments before.

He was knocked aside, by a dark gray blur, that hummed through the air faster than any cat could move. Except maybe Darkmoon. It solidified into a snarling Owlpaw, who had her claws at the toms throat. The two began to fight, although Brightpaw couldn't watch for long, because a young cat leaped at her. He looked to be the same age as her, and his blackish eyes glowed with hate.

Brightpaw put her training to good use. She darted under his belly and tore at it, then darted out just as fast. He yowled in pain, his black-gray pelt staining with scarlet blood. He swiped with his left paw, cutting a notch in Brightpaw's right ear. She gritted her teeth, not wanting to cry out in pain, the same way the young tom had. Instead, she swiped with her right paw, tearing a large cut on the toms left flank.

Lakepaw tackled the tom, his larger size being an advantage, mainly because of his greater weight. The tom underneath his claws tried to get loose, but then went limp. Brightpaw suspected a trick, and sure enough, when Lakepaw loosened his grip, the tom attacked, overthrowing Lakepaw. Now it was time for Brightpaw to attack. She darted under the toms paws, nipping them, causing him to fall down. She darted out from underneath him, just as he fell. Lakepaw resumed his position on top of the tom, who coughed up blood.

"ROBIN!" A black tom with cruel yellow eyes called to the tom underneath Lakepaw's claws. "GET YOURSELF OUT OF THERE! PROVE YOU HAVE NO LOVE FOR THESE CATS ANYMORE! AFTER ALL, THEY LEFT YOU OUT IN THE COLD!"

Brightpaw scented something, underneath all the blood and Lakepaw's scent. Not to mention, Twoleg crowfood. She scented something she hadn't smelled for some time. The scent of her adopted brother; Robinkit, who had been kitnapped, all those moons ago.

"Robinkit?" she whispered.

Robinkit turned his head slowly to her. There was no recognition in his, only anger. "You left me to die." He snarled. "You didn't care if I lived or died!"

Tears leaked into Brightpaw's eyes. "I didn't, Robinkit! I swear! I wanted to help you, but they were just too fast…"

A dark shape hurled at her. It seemed like her life was slowing down, allowing her to see her killer. The same black tom with cruel yellow eyes was leaping at her, claws outstretched to kill her.

But then another dark shape blurred past her, one that she'd grown accustomed to seeing every day: Darkmoon. He brought down the tom, and racked his claws across his throat. The tom coughed, splattering more blood on Darkmoon's crimson stained pelt. Blood gurgled out of his neck wound and his eyes lost their light.

"RETREAT!" A toms voice yowled. Robinkit tried to escape Lakepaw's clutches, but Lakepaw only tightened his grip.

"Give him to me." Darkmoon instructed.

Lakepaw looked at him a if he was crazy.

"Just do it." Darkmoon insisted.

Lakepaw reluctantly got off of Robinkit, who tried to make a break for it. Darkmoon turned into a dark streak for just a second, then materialized, with Robinkit firmly in his jaws.

"Follow me, you two." Darkmoon said, his voice muffled.

Darkmoon padded over to where several cats were being treated by the medicine cats, who were frantic. Darkmoon looked at Brightpaw. "Go to Dappleheart. Get those wounds tended to. Lakepaw, you go find Shadowfox."

"Why is it important that I get my wounds tended to, and not you?" Brightpaw asked.

"JUST DO IT!" Darkmoon roared, his voice still quite loud, despite Robinkit's scruff in his mouth.

Brightpaw decided to run, if her mentor was making it sound so vital.

Dappleheart took one look at her, and rushed over to who, Brightpaw suspected, was the WindClan medicine cat. She took some leaves from her, then placed them at Brightpaws, paws.

"Eat those quickly." She instructed.

Brightpaw did, suddenly feeling the headache she'd been developing, evaporate. "What was that?" she asked, watching her attach cobwebs on a RiverClan warriors shoulder wound.

"We call it, moonflower. Its the only thing we've found that stops the poison."

"What poison?"

"Ask Darkmoon. He knows its effects better than anyone." Dappleheart said with a patient voice, as she took some more cobwebs from an apprentice.

Brightpaw went to look for her mentor, who was at the place where the leaders spoke at Gatherings. At the roots of the tree, the leaders, the deputies and a medicine cat sat and talked. She saw Stormstar and Shadowfox easily. The others were unknown to her.

Darkmoon noticed her right away. He gestured with his tail for her to join him. As she padded over to his side, she noticed that Robinkit appeared to be unconscious and the the medicine cat appeared to be tending to him.

"Are you alright?" he murmured, his orange gaze, for once gentle.

"I did as you instructed."she replied, glancing at Robinkit. "Is he alright?"

"He's fine." The medicine cat snapped. "But the rest of us, not so much."

Darkmoon glared at the medicine cat. "Spitfire, leave her alone. It's been rather emotional for her. She was his adopted sister, after all."

"Oh, don't we all feel a bit closer now." Spitfire growled. "In case ye haven't noticed, _he_ attacked us!"

"Spitfire," A tall, elegant she-cat with forest green eyes and a coat of black looked at the medicine cat with a warning in her eyes. "It is the full moon. We must maintain the peace."

"May I remind you, Nightstar," Spitfire snarled. "That the peace has been broken by those rogues!"

"_Spitfire_," The leader now spat out the name. "Why don't you help the other medicine cats with their patients and take your temper with you?"

Spitfire muttered something, but then walked off, though not escaping the gaze of Nightstar. She turned to Brightpaw, her green eyes apologetic.

"My sincerest of apologies. Spitfire used to be a warrior, before StarClan told him he had to lead a different path. He was a senior warrior when they told him that. He was a good representation of what ShadowClan is, when he was a warrior. Now? Not so much."

Brightpaw nodded, unsure of what to say.

A few moments later, the ShadowClan leader turned her attention back to who must have been the WindClan leader. His name pushed to the surface of Brightpaw's mind. Breezestar. He had long white fur and a streak of tan fur that looked similar to dirt, smudged on a cats pelt. He had pale blue eyes and was also long-legged.

Brightpaw suddenly remembered the question Dappleheart had told her to ask Darkmoon.

"Hey Darkmoon?" she whispered.

He looked at her with curious eyes. "What is it?"

"Dappleheart mentioned that the herbs she gave me stopped some sort of poison."She began slowly, watching to see his reaction. "She said to ask you, since you know the effects better than anyone else."

Darkmoon took a deep breath. "The Pure Ones put this toxic stuff on their claws and teeth. When they inflict a wound, the poison goes into it. The poison itself targets the brain...causing the cat who received the wound to experience an extreme headache, and then their memories become loose. The...host of the poison...could have their entire past rewritten. Their loyalties can be altered and their friendships cut off. It's believed that they feed their stolen kits this, so they can alter them perfectly for the life as a pawn of The Pure Ones. But it hasn't yet be proven."

Brightpaw scooted closer to him, sensing his sadness. Their pelts faintly brushed, and when they did, sparks seemed to come off of Darkmoon's. Her menor looked at her, confused.

"So why do you know the effects better than anyone else?" she asked softly.

Darkmoons eyes hardened and became distant, as if he was remembering something that angered him. "Because I, myself, had a large dose of it when I was an apprentice. This was before we discovered moonflower, as a cure. For days, I wasn't sure who was friend or foe. It, _permanently_, changed me. Hence the reason Owlpaw calls me a grumpy, old badger."

"Speaking of Owlpaw," Brightpaw said, drawing Darkmoon's attention back to her, where his eyes softened. "I haven't seen her since before the attack. I wonder where she is."

Darkmoon shrugged. "I have no idea. She wasn't there when I arrived.

Brightpaw's ears pricked when she heard the sound of a cat panting. She was immediately on guard, claws unsheathed, ready to fight.

But it was only Lakepaw, who was breathing heavily as he tried to speak.

"What is it, Lakepaw?" Darkmoon asked.

Lakepaw took a deep breath. "Come...quickly….It's...Darkmoon, it's your sister."

All the calmness in Darkmoon's posture disappeared, instead, he had a horrified look on his face. He rose to his paws and followed Lakepaw. Brightpaw raced to catch up, hoping, praying...that Owlpaw would be okay. She heard pawsteps behind her, and turned her head to see Stormstar following as well. With an expression of sorrow.

…

Owlpaw was laying on a hastily made nest of moss and grass. Dappleheart and Spitfire hovered over her, trying to stop the bleeding from all the cuts on her. One of her eyes was swollen shut and her right paw was so bloody and mangled, it didn't even look like a paw.

Owlpaw's good eye fixed itself on Darkmoon and Brightpaw. "Guys," she croaked, her voice hoarse. Blood dripped out of her mouth. Dappleheart appeared instantly, with a piece of moss, soaking up the blood. She stepped away and continued helping Spitfire with the cobweb bandages.

"Guys, come here. Please." Owlpaw croaked again, this time, without blood dripping from her mouth.

Darkmoon crept closer, Brightpaw following. The two cats laid in front of her face, Brightpaw's eyes beginning to water and Darkmoon's eyes, holding a sadness that didn't look natural on his face.

"You're listening, right? I don't have much time, so please listen."

Brightpaw nodded slowly. Darkmoon just continued to look at his sister.

"Okay then. Darkmoon? Brother, you've gotta trust someone in this world. I know you don't fully trust me...and don't you dare try to deny it...but I want you to trust her. You've saved her life three times now...Stop regretting what you feel. Trust your heart...follow your instincts. You got that?"

A silent tear went down Darkmoon's face. "I...I understand, Owlpaw."

"And you. Brightpaw...you've got a future...a bright one at that...A destiny that must be fulfilled. You gotta guide my badger-headed brother along as well...make sure he doesn't fall to the darkness, okay?"

Brightpaw nodded, still holding back the tears. "I will, Owlpaw."

"And one more thing," the light in Owlpaw's eyes was becoming dimmer. "You'll face some difficult choices in this life...nothing that you can't handle,as long as you continue to be strong. You'll find out things that'll shape you and make you stronger...even if others think that you're broken...remember...you're a warrior...no matter...your...heritage."

The last words, were the words that surely every cat that had known the sharp eyed apprentice...even for just a few moments, would've remembered forever.

"And tell...Lakepaw...I'll see him in StarClan...Tell him...Tell him I love him." finally, the light disappeared completely. Brightpaw's tears erupted, making her feel ashamed. She buried her face in Darkmoon's shoulder. He leaned his head against hers and though she couldn't see it, she knew he was crying. When she finally looked up, her eyes not dry, not in the slightest, she noticed that many cats had come and surrounded them. Many, she didn't even know. But a few, she did.

Stormstar, had tears in her own eyes. Dappleheart looked at Spitfire, who had his grouchy face in an expression of sadness as well. Lakepaw, who had been there the whole time, had tears in his eyes, most likely realizing that he'd just lost his best friend...and the cat who'd loved him the most. Nettlepaw and Silverpaw were there, tears fresh in their eyes, though their painting suggested they'd ran all the way here. Starkpaw, too, looked as if someone had racked their claws across her heart. Shadowfox had some tears in his eyes...though it was Ghostheart who may have been the most vocal. Riverheart and Stoneclaw looked at her sadly, occasionally sniffling themselves. And most astonishing of all, Flowerwing, who had clear, bright eyes, wept as well. Nightstar and Breezestar met each other's gazes.

Stormstar stepped forward, her sorrow was easy to see if you just looked into her eyes. You could hear cats crying everywhere.

"Everyone, I'd like to make an announcement." Stormstar announced. Several eyes focused on her, questioningly. Darkmoon looked as well, silent tears still trickling down his face.

The ThunderClan leader walked right over to where Owlpaws cold body laid. "As we've all seen, one of our apprentices; Owlpaw, has given her life to protect us, from The Pure Ones. And in her parting, I know that my clan will never be able to get over not hearing her yowling everyday. Her complaining, her gentle teasing of her brother and her odd humor will be greatly missed. But what will be most saddening to most of us, is that she was to be apprenticed tomorrow...but never will be, because of her death."

Several cats murmured, clearly upset. Darkmoon as well, murmured something Brightpaw couldn't make out.

"But I wish to name her, a warrior. So that she can be remembered as a warrior, and not an apprentice." Stormstar looked directly at the still glowing moon, though when the attack had occurred, Brightpaw briefly remembered it being covered by clouds. "May StarClan hear my decision and approve. I name Owlpaw, Owleyes, for she had such keen eyes, and was able to spot her enemy, several fox-lengths away. I hope that StarClan will welcome her as a warrior who has served her clan well...and has died in protecting it."

A soft breeze stirred the trees. Three starry shapes appeared. One was a brown tabby tom with amber eyes and powerful looking shoulders. The other, was a blue she-cat with blue eyes; Bluestar, who had warned Brightpaw of something...but what was it? And the final cat, an orange tom. He had leaf-green eyes and seemed to shine brighter than the other two.

Several cats murmured in shock. Darkmoon, started at the tabby. Brightpaw realized they looked exactly alike, except Darkmoon's eyes were orange and he was a black tabby.

"Bluestar," Stormstar greeted the StarClan cat with no fear in her eyes or voice. "Bramblestar, Firestar. May I inquire as to why three of the most famous ThunderClan leaders have come to visit us?"

"Many moons ago," Bluestar said, looking at Brightpaw. "I warned a young kit of her destiny. Her story has just begun, and we have a message to give."

Bluestar nodded to Bramblestar. The large tabby tom stood and stepped forward. "A few moons ago, we sent a prophecy to all of the medicine cats, telling them of a Dragonborn. I bring a new one, one that will foretell the fate of _all_ the clans."

He looked directly at Stormstar. "This is our prophecy:

_In a time of darkness, the bright one will get him through,_

_A spark lights the fire, that still burns through,_

_The river will run, the sun and moon will shine brighter than StarClan itself,_

_The eagle will fly over the river,_

_The sunset is not the end,_

_These cats will all learn_

_They must return in the end_"

Several cats looked confused at the new prophecy.

Dappleheart stepped forward. "What do you mean? Is this the new prophecy?"

Bramblestar looked at her, his eyes bright. "This is the true prophecy. Find your Dragonborn...and she will find her home."

Both Bluestar and Bramblestar raced back towards the stars, going back to StarClan. The final StarClan cat; Firestar, padded over to Brightpaw.

"You have a long bloodline, that dates back to when I was living. Your ancestor; Blazestar, had the power of controlling a deadly element: fire. It's said that the gift is only passed on to those, of important destiny. Whether or not you possess such a trait remains to be seen. But know this; Blazestar was not a leader of ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan or ShadowClan. She was the very first leader of FireClan, reborn. Your family has traveled a long way, to come here. You will bring a full circle to them...and bring their StarClan back to us. And you will discover your parents, on your journey. Know this, and take comfort in it."

"Thank you, for telling me, Firestar." Brightpaw said hoarsely.

Firestar turned to Stormstar. "Owleyes has been accepted as a warrior, and is thrilled to finally have her warrior name, even in death."

Though many cats still had tears in their eyes, a few chuckled. Brightpaw felt Darkmoon purr a little.

"Your apprentices deserve to be warriors. _All_ of them, especially Lakepaw and Brightpaw." Before Firestar turned to leave, he took one last glance at the other leaders. "And one more thing. Make your senior apprentices warriors. They deserve to be, after waiting so long. Do not wait until they die, and then hope that StarClan will accept them as warriors. Learn from this mistake. And do not do it again."

The StarClan tom bounded back up into the starry skies above, disappearing. Cats disbanded, except for ThunderClan, who would say their goodbyes to Owleyes. Brightpaw left, feeling out of place, from all the others. She eventually found a quiet spot, by the lake. She looked at her reflection, seeing her bright blue eyes looking back at her.

A few moments later, a set of orange eyes joined in her reflection. She turned to see Darkmoon, looking concerned.

"Why didn't you stay?" he asked.

"Because I didn't feel like I belonged there. I mean, she's your sister." Brightpaw replied

"You're part of my family, if I have any say in it." he growled. "You were one of Owleyes best friends. She was the first cat to have seen you, all alone in Dappleheart's den, aside from me. She adored you like the little sister she never 're...You're the only one who shares my pain."

Brightpaw looked back at her reflection. Darkmoon laid down next to her. Brightpaw could feel his pelt next to her, warming her. He put his head next to hers, his orange eyes looking perfect next to Brightpaw's blue ones.

"What about you?" Brightpaw asked softly.

Darkmoon stiffened. He got up and started to walk away.

Brightpaw rose to her paws as well, racing after him.

"What about you?" she asked, more forcefully.

The old, reserved and careful look had crept back into his eyes, once again, his face stoney. His reply seemed to echo throughout the island.

"_**I'll let you know when I figure it out."**_


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:** _A Myth Is Found True_

"I, Stormstar, leader of ThunderClan call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." Stormstar meowed, her voice echoing throughout ThunderClan camp.

Brightpaw fidgeted next to Darkmoon. It had been three days since the brutal attack from The Pure Ones, and in an effort to obey StarClan's wishes, Stormstar had been holding warrior ceremonies for some of the older apprentices. Hawkfrost, had been made a warrior yesterday. Brightpaw still remembered the outraged yowls when his name was announced. The old Hawkfrost, warrior of the Dark Forest, had left a scar deep within the memory of the clans, and Brightpaw, too, was shocked at learning that the snooty tom had been given that name, above all that Stormstar could've chosen.

Stormstar looked at Lakepaw, from where he stood. He looked confident, but before the ceremony had begun, he'd pulled Brightpaw to the side to tell her that he was nervous. "Lakepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Lakepaw took a deep breath. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Lakepaw, from this day forward, you will be known as Lakeheart. StarClan honors your sense of rightness, and we welcome you as a full member of ThunderClan."

Stormstar rested her muzzle on Lakeheart's head. In return, the new warrior licked her shoulder.

"Lakeheart!" the clan yowled back to him. "Lakeheart!" "Lakeheart!"

"Lakeheart!" Brightpaw yowled as well, speculating that her yowling could possibly be the loudest of them all.

Stormstar leaped down from the High Ledge and the cats gathered below slowly went back to their duties, some stopping by in front of Lakeheart to congratulate him.

Brightpaw was about to go over, when Darkmoon stopped her. "We have one last assessment today. If you pass, then perhaps I'll mention to Stormstar that you're ready."

"Okay." Brightpaw said, seeing Darkmoon disappear in a blur and then reappear, approaching Ghostheart.

Brightpaw resumed her attempt to congratulate Lakeheart. She waited until he was alone, to finally approach him.

"Hey." Lakeheart greeted her, his sea-green eyes showing the sadness that he kept inside.

"Congratulations." Brightpaw said, smiling at him.

He nodded wearily. Then his ears perked up. "Hey, do you want to go hunting?"

Brightpaw shook her head. "I'd love to, but I have one more assessment to complete. Maybe after?"

Lakeheart nodded. "Yeah, after. I think I'll do some battle training with my father."

Brightpaw looked at him questioningly. "Who's your father?"

Lakeheart nodded over to where a slender tom with an off white coat with brown ears and paws, who was talking to a she-cat with blue fur. "Those are my parents. Mistyclaw and Elklegs."

"Any siblings?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I was an only kit. But Dawnwhisker is my older sister. So I guess I'm an uncle because of her kits. Have you met them yet?"

"No…"

"Then I'll have to introduce you to them. They're cute, but kind of annoying."

"Brightpaw!" Darkmoon called to her. He was waiting at the entrance, with Nettlepaw.

"I've got to go." She said, racing to where the two toms were waiting.

"Good luck on your assessment!" Lakeheart called after her.

…

"You two have something you both need to work on." Darkmoon said, as they approached the area where apprentices and warriors alike, did their battle training. Today, it was empty.

Nettlepaw sat next to Brightpaw, who looked at her mentor curiously.

"Brightpaw, you have speed, but you can't balance on anything to save your life. Which is a problem, being a ThunderClan cat. Nettlepaw, cannot put his battle moves in a strategic way, so whenever he does them, he's in danger of being killed by an enemy." Darkmoon stopped his pacing in front of the two apprentices. "We'll start with Nettlepaw. Then Brightpaw. And then, we will see if the two of you can beat your own mentors."

Brightpaw tilted her head. She still had to look up at him, but not a lot. She'd definitely grown since her apprenticeship ceremony. She was still smaller, she highly doubted she'd ever be as large as him.

"But Nettlepaw's mentor isn't here." she protested.

"He will be. He's on a hunting patrol right now. I've asked him to meet us here when he's finished." Darkmoon replied. "Brightpaw, _you_ will be teaching him how to do this. I will observe."

The black tabby tom was a blur for just a moment and then he reappeared, at the base of a large oak tree.

Nettlepaw rose. Brightpaw did as well.

"Can I see what you do first?" Brightpaw asked.

Nettlepaw nodded. Brightpaw suddenly became aware of how big he was. His shoulders were definitely larger and his legs a bit longer than hers.

_He's older than me_ She reminded herself.

Suddenly, Nettlepaw leaped. She instinctively dodged, making him crash to the ground. He rose again, and this time, ran at her. He swiped too quickly, catching nothing but air, and this caused him to fall.

Brightpaw shook her head. "No, no, no." She padded over to the tom as he got up. "_Planning_" she began. "Is more essential than the strength you possess. It's what makes all great warriors great. Letting them, having something to follow that will leave their enemies on the ground, at the claws of the victor. Think it out, before you act."

Nettlepaw nodded. Then he asked. "How did you move so fast? You were a blur of golden fur one second. Then you were you."

Brightpaw laughed. "Darkmoon took me out on runs. I slowly built up my endurance and speed until I was fast enough to keep up with him, even for a few mousebeats."

"Ah."

Brightpaw backed up, so that Nettlepaw had room to try again. This time, he seemed to be planning it out, making an idea of how to take her down. When he finally attacked, it was a lot smoother. In fact, he probably would've taken her down, if not for her speed.

He swiped at her with his claws sheathed. She easily dodged, finding him racing towards her. He tackled her, or at least tried to, because she dodged last second and he fell to the ground with an "Oof".

"Better," she said, approaching him. He surprised her by springing. This time, he caught her, but the few moons of battle training she'd had, kicked in. She laid limp, a technique she'd learned from watching Robinkit. Nettlepaw looked over at Darkmoon when she did this, but she tackled him back, throwing him off. He was now the one under her.

Darkmoon appeared, instantly. "Very good. It's Brightpaw's turn now. Nettlepaw, you will instruct like Brightpaw did with you."

Nettlepaw nodded. Brightpaw's mentor went back to where he was previously sitting.

"You can climb, right?" Nettlepaw asked.

Brightpaw shook her head. "Balance required, remember?"

Nettlepaw snickered at her small joke. "Yeah, I suppose." He went over to a short tree. "But its easier than balancing on a branch." He crouched down, and leaped up to a small branch. "Maybe when you can climb, we'll talk about jumping up like I can. Now just try."

Brightpaw nodded and approached the tree. She hooked her front claws in the bark, then pulled up. For a moment, she almost fell. Then her hind claws caught traction. She continued to climb the tree, a few close calls, but she finally got to the branch that Nettlepaw was on. She felt unsteady, and completely unnatural on the branch, gripping it hard with her claws.

"See? Told you it was easy." The tom meowed.

"Easy? To you, maybe. I'd rather be on the ground, where theres no risk of breaking my neck." she said through gritted teeth.

"Anyway," Nettlepaw continued, ignoring her last comment. "Just hold on with your claws and dig them in. Use your tail. Its really easy. Once you gain your balance, we can start walking."

She did as he said, slowly realizing that she didn't fear falling quite as much. But when they started walking, that's where the problems began. Perhaps it was a slight breeze. Or maybe Nettlepaw's tail brushed against her by accident. Whatever it was, she was falling, and she knew it was because of attempting to walk.

Somehow, her back did not connect with the ground. It landed on a cat's back. When she slid off, she saw Nettlepaw's horrified eyes, and Darkmoon's cautious ones, his breathing heavier than usual.

"What in the name of StarClan did I just see, Darkmoon." a small tom with a dusty colored pelt asked, as he approached. He had pale blue eyes, and the tip of his tail was missing.

"You just witnessed Brightpaw falling off a tree branch, Shorttail." Darkmoon answered, still panting.

"I thought you were working on balance, not how to fall properly."

"We were, Shorttail." Nettlepaw meowed, suddenly by Brightpaw's side. "But she slipped."

"No, you think?" Shorttail's eyes glittered with amusement.

Darkmoon finally seemed to catch his breath. "Shorttail, are you ready to start?"

Shorttail nodded, smiling kindly at Brightpaw. "I'm going to safely assume that Darkmoon left you in the dark in the regards of which mentor will be fighting whom. I will be fighting you, so you do not have an advantage. Darkmoon will be fighting Nettlepaw. Perhaps if you can beat your opponent, we will switch off."

Both apprentices nodded in agreement.

"Darkmoon, why don't you go first?" Shorttail suggested.

Darkmoon nodded, and assumed his position. Brightpaw followed Shorttail to where they were to spectate.

The two toms began to fight, once both cats were safely out of the way. Brightpaw watched, trying to be respectful, but in truth, her mind wandered. Ever since Owleyes death, Darkmoon had been polite and didn't call for her, unless it was for a quick lesson or an assessment. She tried to remember the gently, nice Darkmoon she'd seen on the island. That Darkmoon was much more different than the Darkmoon who greeted her in public. And what had Owleyes meant by "I want you to trust her"? What had she meant by "Stop regretting what you feel. Trust your heart, follow your instincts."? Thinking about this made Brightpaw's head spin.

"Thinking about something troubling?" Shorttail asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. She nodded.

"That's okay. I've found that thinkers are often those warriors who have great destinies and even become leaders."

Brightpaw took a closer look at the tom. He was clearly a senior warrior. He had gray fur, speckled around his muzzle. Though he was old though, he still had muscles, clearly evident under his pelt."

Shorttail saw her examining him. She looked away, embarrassed.

"I'm an old warrior, in case you were wondering. I've been here _before_ they came." He meowed.

Brightpaw looked at him, interested. "Why are you still a warrior then?"

"Because I know I can still serve my clan. Though many have suggested for me to retire, I think I'll stay a warrior for a bit longer."

Brightpaw fell silent, seeing that Darkmoon had Nettlepaw pinned to the ground. Finally, the two toms padded over to the spectators. "It's your turn." Darkmoon meowed.

Shorttail smiled at her. "Let's see if Darkmoon has just been exaggerating his apprentices abilities."

…

Brightpaw passed Lakeheart, who was now conducting his silent vigil. The sun had already set and Brightpaw realized how tired she was. The fight against Shorttail had lasted much longer than expected, mainly because the two cats were possibly a match with their intelligence, but Shorttail's experience and Brightpaw's speed made it a much more interesting match. They'd had to agree on a tie, because if they didn't, their fight would've carried on throughout the night.

"You two are permitted to get fresh-kill and then go to sleep." Darkmoon meowed. He padded off to the fresh-kill pile himself, took something, then went to just outside the warriors den.

Shorttail smiled at the two tired apprentices. "You two have done well today. Brightpaw, do not be discouraged that you could not defeat me. Remember, I, too, was having difficulty. I hope you will take comfort in these words." Shorttail also left the two cats alone.

The two apprentices selected a mouse each and then went to the apprentice den. Both finished quickly. They both padded wearily into the apprentice den. For once, Brightpaw didn't have to deal with Hawkfrosts complaining. Although her nest did look lonely without Lakepaw's company.

Venompaw was fast asleep, but Starkpaw and Silverpaw were both wide awake. Silverpaw rose and greeted Nettlepaw with a gentle purr. Starkpaw also got up and smiled at Brightpaw.

"So what did you guys do?" she asked.

"An assessment, and a weird one at that." Nettlepaw replied wearily. He laid down in his nest, next to Silverpaw. She cuddled up beside him and both were soon fast asleep.

Starkpaw glanced at her nest, then joined Brightpaw in Owleyes old one. "So what did you guys really do?" she asked.

"Maybe in the morning, I'll tell you." Brightpaw mumbled.

…

"I, Stormstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code and, I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." Stormstar's voice rang out, once again.

Brightpaw tried not to fidget. She was becoming a warrior. At last, a warrior. The last apprentice to receive her warrior name today. All the important cats that had been in her life so far, watched her with proud eyes. Flowerwing watched her, smiling broadly from the cats below. She sat next to Darkmoon, he watched with emotionless eyes, but Brightpaw could tell he was proud. His chest was puffed out, and though he wore no smile, his body showed the smile he was hiding. Dappleheart watched from her den entrance. And under heavy guard, Robinkit, who watched with blank eyes.

Stormstar looked at Brightpaw, her eyes a little warm. "Brightpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Brightpaw took a deep breath. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Brightpaw, from this moment you will be known as Brightsun. StarClan values your intelligence and speed, and we welcome you as full warrior of ThunderClan."

Stormstar rested her muzzle on Brightsun's head. Brightsun licked her shoulder. Once Brightsun backed away, her name erupted.

"Brightsun!" "Brightsun!" "Brightsun!"

Although there were many who cheered for her, there were still a few cars who sat silently, glaring at her.

Stormstar leaped down from the High Ledge. The clan went back to their original business, except for those who knew Brightsun personally.

The newly made warriors; Nettleclaw, Silversky and Starkfeather surround her, laughing and joking. Lakeheart joined as well, teasing Starkfeather gently. They all stopped when Flowerwing, Darkmoon and Dappleheart approached.

Flowerwing spoke first. "I am so sorry for not being there, Brightsun. You must understand that when a new mother loses all of her kits...that is to say, _blood_-related kits, she's overcome with grief. I never meant to leave you like that. And I promise it will never happen again."

Brightsun knew that others probably wouldn't have ever forgiven her for her actions. They would've been cold, and walked away. But Brightsun was not like that. She was warm, welcoming, and willing to forgive. She too, understood Flowerwings grief, even if it wasn't as strong. Brightsun realized that she was not at all like her mentor. He was cold, distant and only welcoming to those he trusted. Brightsun was as much like the sun, as Darkmoon was like the moon.

"I...I forgive you, Flowerwing." Brightsun said slowly. The young queen seemed to be holding her breath. "I sort of understand your grief. I too, didn't know if Robinkit was dead or alive. So...I guess...thank you,for coming back. Though I'm adopted, you were my first mother."

Flowerwing stepped forward to touch noses with Brightsun. The golden warrior could see tears in the queens eyes. Flowerwing stepped back.

"Thank you," she said softly. "For accepting my apology."

Brightsun dipped her head, and turned to Dappleheart. As usual, Dappleheart's brown calico pelt was thoroughly groomed and her amber eyes were bright. She smelled of the herbs she worked with. "You have done well, Brightsun." she said, faintly smiling.

"Thank you, Dappleheart."

"I want you to know, that when Darkmoon brought you in, we had no idea if you'd live or not. And I'd like to apologize for making all of your decisions for you. I assure you, it was never intended, for the leader before Stormstar asked Riverheart if she'd want to stay, but of course you aren't Riverheart. I do know one thing; you have blossomed into the beautiful, strong, young warrior you were meant to be. And though at first, I'll admit it, I didn't want Darkmoon mentoring you." Dappleheart glanced at Darkmoon who merely shrugged indifferently. "I guess I'll have to admit it now, he has trained you well."

"Thanks again, Dappleheart. You were my second mother, even if you didn't want me to want you to become too attached to you." Brightsun stepped forward and touched noses with the brown calico she-cat. When she backed away, Dappleheart was smiling.

Dappleheart turned to Flowerwing. "Would you like to see him, or no?"

Flowerwing nodded. "I would. I would like to see him."

"I'm warning you now, his memories were tampered with, so he may not recognize you as friend not foe."

"I'm fine with this. He must heal...like I did."

The two she-cats walked away, heading to Dappleheart's den.

When Darkmoon stepped forward, it was clear that he didn't wish to be heard by her friends. Her friends were getting impatient. Darkmoon didn't speak for a while, until he finally mumbled "Tomorrow night, meet me in the training area."

He turned into a blur, a blur that no one could see, except for Brightsun.

Lakeheart cleared his voice at the silence. "Well...um...do you guys want to go hunting?"

The newly made warriors nodded and followed Lakeheart out of the camp.

…

"Got it!" Nettleclaw raced up a tree and hooked his claws in the squirrels bushy tail. He twisted and fell back down, landing perfectly on his paws. The squirrel was still trying to escape his claws, but Nettleclaw bit him on the back, killing him instantly.

"I do wish you wouldn't do that." Silversky meowed. She set her thrush down and pricked her ears. She dove into a nearby clump of bushes, coming back out with a mouse, limp in her jaws. "It's dangerous. And I don't care if you are the best climber in ThunderClan, or if we're ThunderClan cats."

"I think you worry too much." Nettleclaw padded over to her, leaving his squirrel at the base of the tree. He curled his tail around her back.

"If I don't worry, then who will?"

"I'll cover for you," Starkfeather meowed, making both Silversky and Nettleclaw jump. "I've got plenty of time to worry for you."

"Between the both of you," Lakeheart meowed, coming out from behind some bushes that were behind Brightsun. "I think that all three of us will be good."

All them burst out laughing. Brightsun began to take a better look at her friends' catches. Nettleclaw had several squirrels, his specialty. Silversky had a few mice lined up, her own specialty, because she was so small. Starkfeather had thrushes, robins, blue jays and starlings in a pile, probably because she could easily catch them, disguising her scent perfectly in the plants surrounding her. Lakeheart had a few fish in his jaws, something that Brightsun had learned not to question.

"Hey Lakeheart, don't you think we'd better head back? I know you don't have to sit vigil, but we do." said Starkfeather.

Lakeheart nodded, realizing he was the older warrior here, though he was still a young warrior himself. All the cats gathered their fresh-kill and headed back to the camp.

Brightsun's mind was empty except for one though that kept pestering her. _Why do I seem to be so special?_ she quietly said in her head. _And what's with Darkmoon's mood swings?_

…

Brightsun glanced at Starkfeather, who was watching the camp entrance. She heard pawsteps and turned to see Shadowfox approaching them. She would've warned them, but she couldn't speak.

He looked at her with no recognition or even approval. He merely said in a formal, yet somehow cold voice, "You've completed your silent vigil. You all may now talk and catch up with your rest and sleep, if you wish."

He left, leaving all the young cats to yawn and stretch. Brightsun padded wearily into the warriors den, pleased that she could now sleep here. She had no idea where to sleep though. Thankfully, she saw Ghostheart getting up. Ghostheart noticed her right away.

"You can sleep anywhere temporarily, but I wouldn't recommend choosing one just yet." She said.

Brightsun nodded wearily, and flopped down on the nearest nest.

…

Brightsun made her way to the training area. For most of the day, she'd slept, regaining the sleep she had lost. When she woke up, she ate, went out hunting and talked to Starkfeather, who she learn, was painfully similar to Owleyes. She noticed more and more of angry clanmates who would glare at her and then whisper something to another cat when they thought she wasn't looking. One she-cat even walked up to her and said "You are _so_ not welcome here. Get lost, kittypet!"

Brightsun didn't scared easily, but these cats were starting to get her a bit concerned.

Brightsun, finally came to the training area, a place that was a clearing and was usually very sunny during the day time. But now, it looked dark and mysterious, quite like Darkmoon himself.

And just as the thought entered her mind,the tom himself appeared. He held his head high, though he seemed a bit nervous.

Brightsun straitened up. Though she still wondered what was so secretive that he didn't want the others to know, she still liked the fact that the look in his eye seemed friendlier than it had been.

"I'm sorry for requesting that you come here, alone, and just didn't explain it back when you were with your friends." he meowed. "I could tell that they were impatient and besides, I didn't really want them to hear."

"Its okay." Brightsun replied.

"Uh, walk with me here."

The two cats began walking around in the forest. They both remained silent until Darkmoon began to speak.

"I'm assuming that you are wondering why I asked you to meet me?" he said

Brightsun nodded. Her head just reached half way up his shoulder.

"And most likely my shifting of moods."

Brightsun stopped for a heartbeat, then resumed walking. "You've assumed correctly. How did you figure out what I've been thinking about?"

"They're something that I suspected any normal cat would be thinking." he admitted.

"Ah." another uncomfortable silence stretched long.

"Well...My emotions are something I've always been careful at concealing." Darkmoon began. "When you get that poison in your blood, it makes your emotions very powerful. So as to prevent me from destroying the entire camp, I've grown accustomed to hiding my emotions. Stormstar used to get very worried whenever I got angry. So I decided to stop her troubles, I'd hide it, then release them when no cat was around or if we were fighting. Lunareye taught me that keeping myself busy might tire me out enough too. She didn't teach me how to run though, I figured that out myself."

"Is Robinkit very emotional?" Brightsun asked.

"I'd suspect so." Darkmoon flicked his tail impatiently. "Anyway, when I found you, it had been three moons since my infection. I definitely felt something towards you, but whether or not it was good, only time would tell. I you to Owleyes who told me I had to get you to Dappleheart. As you may have figured out, I am not the trusting sort. I watched you go with Dappleheart to see Stormstar to receive a name. And I watched you play with Robinkit. That day you bumped into me, I was angry at myself for yelling at you like I did. Graylegs even told me you were getting your name that day. I've literally been watching you this whole time." Darkmoon flattened his ears in embarrassment. "That sounds creepy. Sorry."

"It sounds sweet, to me." Brightsun said, feeling a bit flattered.

Darkmoon flattened his ears even more. "Uh, da...Thanks, I guess."

A few mousebeats later, he spoke again. "Well...I'm not sure if you can tell, but ever since I found you, I've cared for you. Even if I wasn't aware of it at first. One day, I was hunting with Owleyes and she told me the feeling I most likely had towards you. I got angry at her, and said she was wrong, but I think she's right."

Something caught Brightsuns eye. For a moment, she ignored it and looked at Darkmoon. "So what are you trying to say here?"

Darkmoon took a deep breath and stopped walking. "I think I'll try to let my guard down...and reveal the way I feel."

Brightsun finally took a look over at whatever she had seen earlier, and noticed that it wasn't just some rock or fallen tree.

I looked like a bird of some sort, laying down with its large wings, dark brown, almost black. But as she approached, she realized it looked a lot like a cat, too. He had white head, and his pads on his paws were a yellow color, not pink or black. Darkmoon joined her, studying what laid before them. The creature groaned, and weakly opened its eyes, revealing they were pale yellow. They widened in horror as it tried to get away.

It rose to its paws and then winced in pain, showing several cuts that looked quite painful.

"What _is_ it?" Darkmoon murmured.

Brightsun noticed out of the corner of her eye, that there was Yellowfang, giving her a look like "Go and get it already!". She stepped forward, scaring the poor creature even more.

"It's okay," she said soothingly. "We aren't one of their pawns. You're safe, little one."

"Are you a warrior from one of the clans?" the creature asked.

Brightsun nodded.

The creature nodded, then fell over, apparently having used all of its strength. Brightsun tried to pick it up, but she was too small.

Darkmoon came over and lifted the creature up by the scruff of his neck easily. "Let's get him back to the camp."

"Thanks." Brightsun followed Darkmoon back to the camp. As they walked, it seemed like Yellowfang was speaking to her, but if Darkmoon heard her, he didn't react.

_One has been found_ Yellowfang's voice was a loud, raspy whisper. _But will you find the others in time?_

**A/N**

_**Sorry for interrupting your reading, but I assure you what I have to say is quick. Thank you so much for liking this story so much! It means a lot to me, to see you guys commenting and enjoying it. This is actually my main focus right now. I'd like to ask that you show a bit of interest in the other stories that will come out and that I'm still working on.**_

_**I also have a request. If you could all please join the new poll I have released on whether or not you would like me to tackle on a new fanfiction for HTTYD (How To Train Your Dragon). Don't worry, I'm still going to be working on this, I just want to know if you'd like some other content to read. Please answer the poll as soon as possible.**_

_**Anyway, thank you for reading this Author Note. I will try not to do any more of these. I do hope that you will all love this story as much as I have come to love it! :)**_

_**P.S, I apologize if some of the stuff in here doesn't make sense, I didn't have time to edit it like I usually do ^_^'**_


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five:** _The Enemy From Within_

Brightsun felt Darkmoon's pelt brush against hers. She felt a beam of sunlight on her eyes, and knew it was day. Last night, they'd taken the poor little creature to Dappleheart, who asked no questions, but began to herbs and cobwebs on his cuts. Brightsun had selected a nest next to Darkmoon. Ever since their conversation last night, she'd debated her response and feelings. So far, she felt like a spider trying to weave a complicated web.

Brightsun opened her eyes, unable to avoid the daylight any longer. Darkmoon stirred, and opened his eyes as well.

"Morning." he meowed softly.

He was about to nuzzle her, but at the sudden noise of cat's yowling, he stopped.

"I guess we'd better explain him." he said, rather glumly.

Brightsun nodded, not needing an explanation of who "him" was. Both cats rose, and padded out of the warriors den.

Someone had dragged the poor creature out of Dappleheart's den and a few warriors were even trying to attack him. If it weren't for Dappleheart and Flowerwing defending him, he most likely would have had many more wounds.

"OUTSIDER!" some cat yowled.

"BEAST!" another yowled.

SILENCE!" The yowling simmered down as cats looked up at the High Ledge. Stormstar stood, her eyes filled with cold anger. "Is this how we treat a cat in need of help?"

"He's not a cat!" a tom near Brightsun growled. "He's not one of us."

"He may have wings, but he still needs help." Stormstar held her head high. "Now I know we've taken in kittypets, and such. But if you think about it, one of the greatest leaders in ThunderClan was once a kittypet.

"Yeah, and you can see where that got us." Hawkfrost's sneer seemed to echo.

"Hawkfrost, you view everything that doesn't have pure blood, a waste of time and effort!" Lakeheart's assciuson rippled throughout the clan.

"Oh, I know _why_ you support cats that aren't clanborn!"

"Who cares if a cat isn't clanborn?" said Darkmoon rather suddenly. "As long as they have that sense of rightness and can make a good warrior, does blood really matter?"

"Says the cat who makes it his duty to see who's related to who."

"I'm curious, thats all."

"And yet I see you, a pure blood warrior, hanging around filth like that."

Darkmoon's pelt bristled. "You dare to call her filth? In case you can't remember, Squirrelflight was the daughter of Firestar, a ThunderClan leader who happened to be non-forest born!" he snarled.

"Oh right," Hawkfrost had a nasty look in his eyes. "So you're just as much filth as she is."

It happened so fast, Brightsun almost thought she'd imagined it. One moment, Darkmoon was beside her. The next, he was on top of Hawkfrost, his claws unsheathed, his teeth bared in a snarl. Brightsun was about to interfere, she knew something horrible was going to happen if this carried out, but Ghostheart beat her to it.

"Darkmoon, no!"

Darkmoon looked up at her, and realized what had happened. He turned into a blur and raced out of the camp.

"Yeah, run away like the coward you are." Hawkfrost sneered, getting to his paws.

Brightsun surprised herself by doing something, she never thought she'd do. She spun around, as she followed Ghostheart out of the camp. She unsheathed her claws as she spun and tore a notch in Hawkfrosts right ear, then a large mark, diagonally across the left of his face. She turned back around, and followed Ghostheart out of the camp. She heard no sound behind her, just heavy breathing and shocked silence.

…

"You know you're going to get in trouble, right?" Ghostheart swished her tail as she sat down. Both she-cats had followed Darkmoon's scent trail, over to an old, Twoleg nest. The smell of catnip was strong here.

"I know, and I really don't care." Brightsun replied. She was currently searching for Darkmoon's distinctive dark pelt.

"You won't find him, you know. When he has episodes like that, he hides."

"Does he have them often?"

Ghostheart tilted her head in consideration. "He hasn't had one that bad in moons. I've never seen him jump to any cat's defense like that so quickly before. He's a loyal warrior, yes, but for the most part he just doesn't care."

Brightsun felt her cheeks get warm. "Really?"

Ghostheart nodded. "The only cat he's ever really protected, was Owleyes…" Ghostheart turned her head, but Brightsun caught a glimpse of tears starting to form. It was several moments before Ghostheart spoke again. "But it seems like you are his concern now."

Brightsun looked away, not sure what to say. She spotted a pair of orange eyes in the shadows of the trees. Brightsun didn't dare to breath, but waited to see if Darkmoon would come out. Sure enough, he did, looking ashamed.

Ghostheart noticed and turned to face her son. "That was a very dumb thing to do; attacking Hawkfrost like that. By all means, do defend Brightsun, but don't attack clanmates!"

Darkmoon said nothing, but merely joined the two she-cats in sitting. He sat next to Brightsun, and continued to look at the ground, embarrassed.

Brightsun leaned over to him and stretched up to reach his ear. "If it makes you feel any better," she whispered. "I attacked Hawkfrost when he called you a coward."

Darkmoon flicked his ears up in surprise, and looked at her as if seeing her for the very first time. "You shouldn't have done that." he murmured, but his expression didn't seem so stern.

Brightsun shrugged. "You would've done the same for me."

…

When the three cats came back to camp, the sun was setting. The creature had been moved back into Dappleheart. Both Darkmoon and Brightsun padded over to the medicine cat den, where Flowerwing, Dappleheart and the creature were eating fresh-kill.

"There you two are! I was beginning to worry." Flowerwing meowed.

"You know, I was about to send Graylegs out after you. This little guy was wondering where you'd gone." Dappleheart purred.

The creature looked up at them. Now that it wasn't in pain and all of its injuries were taken care of, Brightsun could fully see how bizarre he looked. He had a white fur on his head, and for the most part he was brown. His wings were huge, large enough for him to get him in the air and possibly another cat. His paws were white, and when he stretched, his claws were as well. The pads on his feet could only be described as yellow scales. He had pale eyes and smiled in delight when he saw them.

His tail was a lighter brown than the rest of his pelt, and had white feathers on the end.

"Thank you for rescuing me." He meowed. His voice was high pitched too, despite probably being only a few moons younger than Brightsun. "If you hadn't of come along, I doubt I would still have a clear mind."

"No problem." Brightsun replied. "No cat...or creature...should have to suffer or be left in the dust like that."

Darkmoon stepped forward. "Who are you? _What _are you? And why were you out there like that?"

"My name is Eaglepaw. I have no idea what I am, but I do remember a few things about my past. Like the smell of the wind, and grass. But there's none of that here. It smells like plant life."

Dappleheart laughed. "Well of course it would. This is ThunderClan. You're safe here."

"Thank you for protecting me earlier, Dappleheart."

"You are my patient and I refuse to let any cat lay a claw on you." Dappleheart rose to her paws and padded over to where Robinkit laid, with at least two other cat's guarding him. "Are you ready to eat now? You know I'll force down the food, if it's necessary."

Robinkit muttered something ineligible, then nodded. Dappleheart went out of the den, obviously in search of some fresh-kill.

"You asked me where I came from." Eaglepaw said. "I come from the Pure Ones. And it wasn't willingly either."

Suddenly interested, Darkmoon sat in front of Eaglepaw. "What's it like there?"

"I'll give you my entire story okay?" Eaglepaw's voice was full of laughter.

There was the sound of shuffling as the three young cats began to get comfortable, so they could preceed.

"I grew up in the Pure Ones' camp. From a young age, I was weaned, and ate fresh-kill. It tasted funny, but I ate it anyway. I was assigned a mentor; a cat who would teach me the in's and out's. I received a she-cat who's name was Vine. She had a light tabby pelt and sharp, dark green eyes. She worked me hard and such."

"Did you become confused after eating the fresh-kill?" Darkmoon cut in.

"No, and if you're referring to The Forgetting, I was one of the few who was stolen so young, it wasn't required for me to take it. They did, however, put me under this new poison. They call it The Control. It turns you into nothing more than an obedient slave. You have to listen to whatever they say, and you can't fight it. At least, that's what they said.

"I, like dozens of other apprentices, wanted to escape. I wanted to be free. My siblings were lost to their ways; they're nothing like me. And so I began to plan my escape. Although I think I probably wouldn't have made it, had it not been for a golden tabby she-cat, whose name is Goldenlily. She worked hard to get me out. I owe it to her, of my escape. She told me to run. To run to ThunderClan territory where it would be safe. She said that ThunderClan would take care of me, unlike her clan. She said ShadowClan would kill me.

"I haven't seen her since, and I hope she's safe. When I saw you two, I thought you were one of the Pure Ones, coming to take me back. I thank StarClan that you weren't one of them."

"You know of StarClan?" Darkmoon asked, surprised.

"Yep. Goldenlily told me of them. She said the warrior ancestors had guided her to me, so she could help me. I'm glad they did." Eaglepaw replied.

"So is that why you asked to see us?" Brightsun asked.

"Well yeah. Plus, you're the only cat's my age who don't treat me like the plague. And you saved my life. By the way, what are your names?"

"I'm Brightsun. He's Darkmoon." Brightsun replied.

"Your names suit you." Eaglepaw said decidedly.

"What about your name? How did you get an apprentice name?" Darkmoon asked.

"Goldenlily gave it to me. She said I needed to have a proper name and not the ugly one they gave me back at that camp."

"What was your name then?"

Eaglepaw's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Talon. Because of my claws." He flexed them and reveled long, sharp claws capable of almost anything.

Dappleheart came back in with a mouse for Robinkit. "Here," she said, and placed it at his paws.

Robinkit bit into it, and gazed untrustfully at Brightsun.

"If you really were at the Pure Ones camp, how come I never saw you?" Robinkit asked, clearly directing the question to Eaglepaw despite the fact that he was looking at Brightsun.

"Because I was in another den, and besides, there's too many cats there to get to know everyone."

Robinkit said nothing, but merely continued to eat his food. Brightsun returned his gaze, and saw the black eyes that had been so friendly and kind when they were kits, now full of mistrust and confusion. His white chest with gray flecks was yellow, probably because he hadn't had a bath in ages. The red that was on his face was darker and crusted with blood. He looked like a cat who hadn't thoroughly washed himself in moons. It tore Brightsuns heart to see her brother look this way.

"Robinkit?" Brightsun asked gently.

Robinkit flicked his ear in annoyance. "What do you want, traitor?"

"Can I wash you? Please?"

Robinkit eyed her. "Fine."

Brightsun carefully got up and approached him like she would a frightened kit: slow and gently.

She sat next to him and began gently cleaning the fur on his head, getting everything out. She moved onto his chest a few minutes later, and his side. She gasped when she found long scar marks on his left flank.

"Who did this to you?!"

"I got that for disobeying. Last time I did that." Robinkit's eyes glittered like polished black river stones.

Brightsun said nothing else, just cleaned and cleaned. It was only when Dappleheart told her and Darkmoon to go to the warriors den and get some sleep, that she left her brothers side.

Before she left the den however, she looked back at Robinkit. "I know you think I betrayed you. I swear across my life, that I couldn't do anything. I would've given anything to be there with you. I'm sorry, Robinkit. I just wish you could be the same brother you were when we were kits."

As Brightsun left, she could've sworn she heard Robinkit say in a soft, gentle voice "I forgive you. But one thing I know for certain is that I'll never be the same."

…

"Hey fleapelt, watch it!" Hawkfrost snarled as Brightsun bumped into him.

"Sorry." she muttered.

At least a moon had passed since Darkmoon's outburst and Brightsun's attack. Stormstar had given her apprentice duties for that moon, and now she was relieved to be back to normal. Sadly, a bunch of warriors still seemed to think she was an apprentice. It was always Darkmoon who chased them away, and reminded them that she'd earned the right to be called a warrior.

"Hey! Brightsun!" Lakeheart approached Brightsun enthusiastically.

"Oh, hey Lakeheart." she replied.

"Wanna meet my niece and nephew?"

"Sure." Brightsun hadn't had any time to finally meet the young kits, who were at least two moons old.

They headed towards the nursery and found Dawnwhisker watching fondly as two kits played together. She turned towards the approach of Brightsun and Lakeheart.

"Hello, little brother." she said.

"I hate it when you call me that." Lakeheart grumbled.

"Well that's what you are."

"This is Brightsun. She wanted to meet Aspenkit and Amberkit."

Dawnwhisker nodded. "Of course you can meet them. They're getting to be quite a pawful."

Curious, the kits had already approached the warriors. Aspenkit had white fur with light gray fluffy fur on his legs and tail. His face also had gray markings and he had bright blue eyes, like another cat Brightsun knew.

Amberkit had black spots that seemed to be in no particular pattern. Her golden fur was sleeker than her brothers and she amber eyes. When Brightsun saw her feet, she noticed that all of them were black, except for the front orange ones. Brightsun sensed that she would be thin and rather graceful when she was older.

"Hi!" Aspenkit sealed.

"Hello." Amberkit said more politely.

"Hey there. I'm Brightsun. I'm a friend of your uncles."

"You have black wing markings on your hind legs!" Apsenkit meowed.

"Dumby! That's rude!" Amberkit cuffed her brother.

"Well it's true!" Aspenkit indignantly rubbed his head.

Brightsun laughed. The two kits were quite comical.

"Well, I was wondering when you'd end up meeting my kits." A friendly voice purred. Brightsun looked to see Graylegs smiling in amusement. He was the one with blue eyes.

"Hi, Graylegs." Brightsun hadn't really had any contact with the gray brindled warrior since her kithood.

"Seems you've grown up alright. No offense, but you're much better looking than when you were a kit. Of course, Dawnwhisker beats you any day, but still." Dawnwhisker pushed her mate gently with her paw, and Graylegs broke out in laughter.

"Hi Graylegs." Lakeheart said casually.

"Are you still mad at me for beating you at practice?" Graylegs teased.

"No…"

Graylegs grinned. "Yeah, you are. By the way, Brightsun? You know how Darkmoon is a descendant of Bramblestar? Well, I'm a descendant of Graystripe. I think I somehow managed to inherit his joking nature."

"That and his foolishness. Why don't you go and hunt, 'almighty warrior'?" Dawnwhisker said sarcastically, but she was smiling.

"We should probably get to hunting too. Come on, Brightsun." Lakeheart said suddenly.

As they padded away, Lakeheart growled "I hate him."

Brightsun looked questioningly at him. "Why?"

"I just really don't like him. He doesn't take anything seriously."

"Well, there always needs to be that one cat who jokes around. Otherwise, the clan wouldn't have much to laugh about."

Lakeheart sighed. "I guess you're right, but I really don't like him."

…

Brightsun heard the rustling of leaves. She opened her eyes and saw Hawkfrost leaving the warriors den. Darkmoon was fast asleep beside her.

_What in StarClan is he doing?_ she thought to herself as she rose and quietly followed him.

Tracking Hawkfrost took her out of the camp, into the forest. It was when they came to the ShadowClan border that she became worried. At the border, was a thin she-cat with cruel dark green eyes and a light tabby pelt. She had a mean looking scar that came from her right paw and went up to a nicked ear.

She flicked her ear when she saw Hawkfrost.

"So you came." even her voice was cruel. It was cold, without emotion.

"I came." Hawkfrost replied, and flicked his tail.

"Anyone follow you?"

"No, they're all as stupid as mice."

"Good. Now are you sure he's there?"

"Do you know any other cats with wings?"

"No...Talon was the only one of his siblings who was 'gifted' with wings."

"Alright then. And you'll give me what I want?"

"Of course. A Pure One cat never lies. We must...keep the blood pure. That's our motto, you know."

"And you guarantee that you'll get rid of our filth?"

"We'll purify you thoroughly."

Hawkfrost paused. "What's so special about him? He doesn't look pure."

"He is the son of Breezestar. Breezestar is a descendant of Crowfeather and Crowfeather was the descendant of Wind. He has the purest blood our leader has ever seen."

Hawkfrost was silent for a moment. "Then you'll make him forget everything?"

"Of course, you twit! How else would he submit to our will? He escaped once before. He is strong willed, and therefore, needs to be broken."

"What about Brightsun's 'brother; Robinkit? And what about Brightsun?"

The she-cat flicked her ear in dismissal. "I need to know her bloodline, otherwise, she's no use to me."

"StarClan told her that her blood goes back. To this warrior named 'Blazestar', or something-"

The she-cat turned sharply. "We come from the place of Blazestar. If she's truly the descendant of that cat, then - pure blood or no blood - she will have to be killed. Blazestar's descendants cannot be turned, cannot be drugged or anything. They are the taint of the land, the purest of blood known, but at the same time, with the dirtiest blood imaginable. They must be destroyed."

"That might not be as easy as it sounds. She's got...almost some sort of bodyguard mate. His name is Darkmoon. He'll defend her with his own life, if necessary…"

"I know of him. I was the one who slashed him. His blood may seem pure, but he is, in fact, impure. I may make an exception though. If we can destroy him, then he will be ours to control."

Hawkfrost smiled. "Excellent. And I may continue to update you?"

"Of course. You're our weapon against them. Analyze bloodlines if you can, and report back when you can."

Brightsun felt her blood grow cold as she watched both cats disappear: Hawkfrost heading back to camp and the she-cat heading back to wherever she came from. She was certain that the she-cat was Vine, Eaglepaw's old mentor. And Brightsun knew now of the urgency of finding the others who were part of the prophecy in time. ThunderClan would be ripped to shreds from the inside out if they didn't.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: **_Gotta Be Somebody_

Brightsun raced back to the camp. She wasn't sure who she could talk to. Definitely not Dappleheart. She'd say she must have been dreaming. Not Eaglepaw. He needed his rest. Not Lakeheart. She couldn't bare to bring him unhappy thoughts. No...there was only Darkmoon. He had a tendency of being grumpy, over-protective and temperamental. But if there was any cat Brightsun wanted to have by her side, Darkmoon fit the job. He would understand.

Brightsun got back before Hawkfrost. She thanked StarClan for that. She crept up beside Darkmoon and jabbed him with her paw gently.

"Darkmoon!" She whispered urgently. "Darkmoon, wake up!"

Darkmoon opened one orange eye sleepily. "What?" he whispered back.

"I need to tell you something. About Hawkfrost."

Darkmoon sat up quickly. "Follow me." He whispered.

Darkmoon led her to the dirt-making place and squeezed out of a tunnel. He then, headed to where the abandoned Twoleg nest was.

When they were safely inside, he sat down and curled his tail around his paws. "Alright, tell me now."

Brightsun spilled it all out. Darkmoon didn't interupt, but slowly grew more and more angry. He eventually was bristling so much, it reminded Brightsun of a hedgehog, and faintly amused her despite the current circumstances.

When Darkmoon finally calmed down enough to not be spitting profanities at Brightsun, though not aimed directly at her, he growled.

"The worst thing is, they've got us cornered. They know Stormstar - however opened minded she thinks she is - would never be able to accept the fact that she has warriors working for the enemy. Dappleheart, maybe. Eaglepaw, I'd tell anyway. Remember one line of the prophecy? '_The eagle will run over the river?_'"

Brightsun laughed. "I'm pretty sure it's '_The eagle will fly over the river_'"

Darkmoon flattened his ears sheepishly. "Yeah…."

"But you're right. Eaglepaw is a part of this prophecy. There's no other cat with 'eagle' in his or her name, and he has wings, remember?"

"Yeah."

"I wonder who the other cat's are?"

"I wonder what they mean by 'river'. Hopefully, it's not RiverClan. I don't like those fish-breaths."

"Old rivalry between ThunderClan and RiverClan?"

"Yep. They used to steal the Sunning Rocks back in the old territories, or so the elders tell me."

Brightsun though for a few minutes. "We should probably head back to camp, shouldn't we?"

Darkmoon shrugged. "If you feel safe there. We could just camp out here."

Brightsun put her paw on top of his. "Sounds fun. Why not?"

…

"Hey Brightsun!" Lakeheart yowled.

Brightsun looked up. "Hey Lakeheart."

"Wanna join a hunting patrol?"

Brightsun yawned. "I've been on so many, I can feel where the prey is. Is there a border patrol we could go on instead?"

"Yeah. Darkmoon's leading. Still, you wanna join?"

Brightsun looked at the remaining morsels of mouse she had. She gulped them all down, licked her lips and joined Lakeheart. "Sure."

On the patrol, she found Starkfeather, Venomfang, a tom who's name was apparently Brakentooth, a she-cat named Leafjay and her apprentice: Vinepaw. Vinepaw was new, recently apprenticed just before Darkmoon and Brightsun had gotten back from their camping trip. Vinepaw had only half of his tail, but had bright brown eyes and a cheerful mood wherever he went. He was eager to know everyone, and question Brightsun about everything.

"Wow! So you were a rogue once? Kinda like me?" Vinepaw asked excitedly

"No. Well, kinda. I was a kit at the time, and I'd just opened my eyes. Then Darkmoon found me, and well...I've kinda grown up in the clan." Brightsun replied.

"I remember when you came in, Brightsun." Leafjay meowed. "You were so tiny. Just a tiny scrap of golden fur in Darkmoon's mouth, really. You've grown so much since then."

"So if you grew up here, do cats treat you like you're clanborn?"

"No. Most of them, I don't even know, and some of the ones I do know, hate my guts."

Vinepaw looked confused. "What are guts?"

Brightsun mentally smacked herself for using one of Owleyes old sayings. "It's a Twoleg word that one of my friends taught me a long time ago."

"But what does it mean?"

Leafjay cuffed Vinepaw gently. "You're going to make Brightsun weary of you and your questions. Ask Dappleheart when we get back. She knows."

They came to the ShadowClan border. Darkmoon sniffed the air. "No scent of any Pure Ones...or ShadowClan. Does anyone else think that ShadowClan has been disturbingly low-profile lately?"

"I do. It's not like them to not complain about some sort of thing. If it rains when there's been no water, they'll find something to complain about." Brakentooth said roughly.

"So do many of the warriors in our own clan, Brakentooth." Venomfang sniffed.

"And you better learn when to hold your tongue, lassie." Brakentooth snarled.

"Both of you, knock it off. Mark the borders and be done with it. I want to hunt on the way back to camp." Darkmoon ordered.

"He's like his father, that one." Brakentooth muttered. "Commanding respect with even the oldest of warriors."

Brightsun pricked her ears curiously. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Brakentooth looked over to her in surprise. "I am an old warrior, lassie. Not many cats can figure that out. I was the mentor of Shorttail, once upon a time. And may I say, I did an excellent job mentoring him."

Brightsun looked at him strangely. The second cat she had met now, who refused to retire to being an elder. "Why don't you retire?"

"Believe me, I've been thinking about it lately. I may very well join the elders, so I can finally have my well deserved rest. It'll be a refreshing rest, believe me."

"Come on. Let's see if we can hunt some fresh-kill." Darkmoon set the patrol off walking again.

"Um, Darkmoon. Vinepaw doesn't know how to hunt yet. I'm going to teach him tomorrow. Can we go back?"

Darkmoon nodded without even glancing back.

Leafjay smiled at Brightsun. "See you around, Brightsun."

"Bye." she replied.

Darkmoon led Brakentooth and Brightsun to an area of the forest filled thickly with thorns. Brightsun spotted a bush with bright red berries. She was about to go over to inspect it, when Brakentooth laid his tail on her shoulder.

"Those are deathberries. Never eat them, lassie. Lest you become sick and die. Those are the most toxic berries around." he meowed gravely.

Brightsun nodded, giving the harmless looking berries a wide berth. She opened her mouth to detect scents, and smelled a squirrel. She crouched, heading towards where the squirrel. It sat on a log, nibbling on a nut and occasionally looking around.

Brightsun tensed, and sprang. The squirrel dropped its nut and headed strait towards the largest tree in the forest. The Sky Oak. It raced up the tree, and Brightsun followed it, not even paying attention. When she finally caught it, she realized just how high up she was. Frozen with terror, she clung onto the branch for dear life.

She spotted Darkmoon's tiny dark shape at the bottom.

"Hold on!" he yowled.

She watched as he climbed the tree, easily leaping from branch, to branch. The higher he went, the more she realized the branches she was near, were too thin and small for him. Gulping, she looked back down to where Brakentooth stood watching: horrified.

"Get Nettleclaw! He's smaller than Darkmoon and he's the best climber!" she yowled down to him. For a moment, she thought he hadn't heard her, but then Brakentooth shot off like a rabbit.

Darkmoon kept close to the trunk, although it was evident that he was also realizing he wouldn't be able to make it.

Soon, Brightsun saw Nettleclaw and Brakentooth racing towards them. Accompanying them, was Dappleheart, Flowerwings and surprisingly, Eaglepaw. Once Flowerwings and Dappleheart dropped something that had been in their mouths, Nettleclaw trotted to the tree, not even stopping.

He scaled the tree, digging his claws into the bark and moving with more ease than Darkmoon had. Nettleclaw may have been bigger than Brightsun, but he was still smaller than Darkmoon. Even so, when he got to a patch of thinner branches, he too, had the branches bending.

"It's all up to you, Eaglepaw!" he yowled, clearly frustrated.

Eaglepaw nodded and spread his wings. He flapped once, and shot up into the air, a couple more flaps, and he was just under Brightsun. He flapped once more, and was over her. He fixed his teeth into her scruff and lifted her up. Unfortunately, he wasn't big enough yet to carry her smoothly down. All he could do, was spread his wings and glide through the trees, using his feathered tail to stop them from crashing.

When the finally landed, Brightsun realized she'd left her squirrel up there. As if reading her thoughts, Eaglepaw zoomed back up and came down with her squirrel.

"Thanks, Eaglepaw." Brightsun meowed, relieved.

He smiled. "No problem."

Darkmoon raced up to her, out of the tree. Nettleclaw soon followed.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Darkmoon asked, frantically searching her eyes.

"I'm fine, just a little shaken up. That's all."

Darkmoon's expression went from worrying, to angry. "That was stupid! You could've been killed! And all this, for a dumb squirrel!"

Dappleheart stepped forward and examined her. "You look fine. Feel fine?"

"Again, just scared really." Brightsun replied.

"Don't do that again, Brightsun. I may not be your real mother, and you may not be my blood-related kit, but I sure am going to treat you like my own. Whether you like it, or not." Flowerwing meowed.

"I'm fine, for StarClan's sake!" Brightsun meowed, now aggravated. "Does anyone else want to ask me a stupid question?"

Darkmoon picked up the squirrel. "Let's go back to the camp."

Annoyed, Brightsun settled into step between Nettleclaw and Eaglepaw. The two toms hadn't asked her anything, and seemed comfortable to be in silence. However, Brightsun became interested when Nettleclaw asked Eaglepaw a question.

"Do you think Stormstar would make you a warrior, since you helped Brightsun down from The Sky Oak?"

Eaglepaw shrugged. "I don't know. Goldenlily educated me in what was expected in the clan. She taught me everything a mentor would teach an apprentice. So I technically _am_ an apprentice."

"What do you think, Brightsun?" Nettleclaw.

She shrugged. "Personally, I'm clueless about this. Darkmoon taught me many things, but this was not one of them.

Darkmoon, upon hearing his name, slowed his pace so he was just in front of her. "I, myself, am unsure if you can be considered a clanmate. Dappleheart would argue otherwise, but I think you have to decide that for yourself."

Brightsun nodded. "That does make the most sense. And you're lucky. I didn't really get that option. I still needed to drink milk, back when I joined."

"You were a kit." Darkmoon said, flicking his tail dismissively. "We weren't going to throw you back into the cold, just because you weren't clanborn. If you remember correctly, the warrior code states that we protect kits, no matter what."

Brightsun said nothing, but Eaglepaw smiled. "I'd give anything to have grown up here. To be free. I've craved a home like this, for ages. Ever since I learned there were places like this, I think. Goldenlily told me everything about the clans. Mostly about ShadowClan, but also about ThunderClan. She says she admires this clan, despite the fact that they're not hers."

Nettleclaw laughed a breezy laugh. "Everyone knows ThunderClan is the best clan. Most of us don't really care about who is clanborn and who's not. Excluding my fox-hearted brother on that one. I know I don't care. It's why I'm friends with the lovely Brightsun here." He mockingly made flirtatious movements.

Brightsun laughed at Nettleclaw's joking. However, Darkmoon gave Nettleclaw a dark look. Nettleclaw who noticed this, laughed.

"Relax, Darkmoon. I'm not about to take your she-cat. I've got Silversky, remember?"

Darkmoon snorted, and turned back around. They entered the camp, and Dappleheart headed back to her den with Flowerwing following. Silversky rushed up to Nettleclaw and nearly tackled him. Brightsun, sensing the need for privacy, joined Darkmoon at the fresh-kill pile.

"Want to share a thrush?" Darkmoon said in a low voice.

"Sure." Brightsun replied.

Darkmoon picked up the thrush and headed over to where Starkfeather and Lakeheart were cleaning themselves. While they cleaned, they talked about the recent uprising of Pure One attacks.

"It's a bit weird, don't you think?" Brightsun caught Starkfeather saying to Lakeheart.

"Yeah. And to think that all of this happened when Bright-" Lakeheart snapped off in mid-sentence. "Oh, hey Brightsun."

"What are you guys talking about?" Brightsun asked, settling down next to Darkmoon.

"Just the fact that it's weird how there are so many Pure One attacks and stuff. Not to mention, Eaglepaw's existence. Cat's aren't supposed to be like him, you know?" Starkfeather replied.

"Yeah I know. But he's really nice. In fact, I was stuck in a tree because I foolishly decided to chase a squirrel. Darkmoon was too big, and so was Nettleclaw. Thankfully, Eaglepaw managed to snag me." Brightsun told her.

Starkfeather's eyes widened. "Wow, you must've been really scared. And Darkmoon, you must've been really brave!"

Darkmoon bit a piece off of the thrush. "That was nothing compared to what I've been through before. I do wish that Brightsun would figure out that she does not belong in trees. Despite the fact that she is a ThunderClan warrior."

Brightsun flattened her ears, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Darkmoon. It's just...I tend to loose my balance and I think I'm scared of heights…."

A few mousebeats passed before Darkmoon replied. "It's okay, I suppose. You did manage to catch that squirrel, even if you got stuck after."

Brightsun smiled at him, and then realized she was starving. She too, bit into the thrush and enjoyed its taste.

"So are you two officially a thing or something?" Lakeheart asked.

Brightsun glanced at Darkmoon. The black tabby shrugged. "I have no idea. I'll let you know when I know."

"Hey Darkmoon, nice to see you can still be friendly to your friends." Starkfeather teased.

Darkmoon glared at her. "Excuse me for having mood swings because of that poison."

Brightsun rested her tail gently on his back. She felt him bristling a little, and relaxed at her touch. Lakeheart licked his paw and rubbed the top of his head.

"Well, I'm going to play with Amberkit and Aspenkit. You guys can join me later, if you want." Lakeheart rose, and padded over to the nursery entrance, where the two kits were playing.

Starkfeather rose, too. "I'm going to train. Catch you later, you two."

Brightsun pushed the last of the thrush towards Darkmoon. "Here, you eat it."

Darkmoon gulped it down, and yawned. "Sharing tongues?" he suggested.

Brightsun nodded. She gently reached up and snagged a small leaf out of the fur tuft on his head with her claw. Then she began to straighten out his fur. He did the same with her, going a bit more gently than her, because her fur was shorter.

Once they were finished, Darkmoon stood. "Walk?"

Brightsun smiled. He was trying to keep them busy, without having to do anything related to hunting or border patrols. She nodded.

…

"Have you ever wondered what things were like a long time ago?" Darkmoon asked.

Brightsun shrugged. "Not really. You know about your family, and I don't. I guess it's natural that you be curious."

"Yeah." Darkmoon paused. "You know, I think my dad doesn't like you."

"Why?"

"Because you were really close friends with Owleyes. He thinks you should've been able to help her, instead of needing to be saved by me. Which reminds me, you seriously have a bunch of cats on your tail. That's about three cats now, right?"

Brightsun shrugged. "I've never done anything to them, and I don't know why I attract trouble. Special skill, I guess."

"You sure attracted me." Darkmoon said softly.

Brightsun looked at him. "But you're not trouble."

"Sure I am. I've got a temper worse than a foxes, I am emotionally scarred, hot-headed-"

"And yet I'm the cat who keeps getting saved by you." Brightsun interrupted him.

Darkmoon looked at her. Then he laughed softly. "I guess we do need each other, huh?"

Brightsun noticed he'd led her to the WindClan border. The stretch of grass near the creek was dry. Darkmoon laid down then rolled on his back. His paws were folded on his chest.

"Come on. I want to show you what Owleyes and I used to do all the time."

Brightsun copied what he'd done and found herself pressed against him. She looked at him and found his nose near her own.

"Look at the sky." he meowed.

She looked and once again, was astounded at how many stars were out. It seemed like StarClan wanted to show their full glory.

"As you know, Owleyes had good vision. She also had a wild imagination. She used to see pictures in the sky, by connecting the stars. We both promised to teach this to no one, unless we really knew them. So I've decided to show you this."

Using his paw, Darkmoon traced lines in the sky. The two cats stayed out, eventually curling around each other, under the light of Silverpelt.

…

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the High Rock for a clan meeting." Stormstar yowled as Darkmoon and Brightsun entered the camp.

The two shared an amused look, and joined their friends. Eaglepaw was also on the High Rock, with Stormstar.

Stormstar cleared her voice once everyone had joined. "Eaglepaw has recently told me of a ShadowClan warrior named Goldenlily, who basically trained him when he was with the Pure Ones. And because of the heroic deed that he performed yesterday, I asked him if he would like to join ThunderClan as a warrior, since he did receive training. He has accepted, and now it is time for his warrior ceremony."

There was a bit of grumbling, but for once, no one yowled out profanities to the winged-cat.

Stormstar gave a small nod to Eaglepaw, who visibly gulped at stepped forward. "I, Stormstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn."

Brightsun smiled. She had no doubts for Eaglepaw, who though nervous, looked excited.

"Eaglepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Eaglepaw was visibly shaking as he replied. "I-I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Eaglepaw, from this moment you will be known as Eaglewings, in honor of your wings. StarClan values your courage and thoughtfulness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Stormstar rested her head on Eaglewings head, and in return he licked her shoulder. But when it was customary for the warriors to yowl out the name of the new warrior, everyone remained silent.

Brightsun rose. She made her way carefully to where she knew Eaglewings would be able to see her. Then she spoke in a clear, loud voice.

"Eaglewings. Eaglewings. Eaglewings."

She felt Darkmoon join her, and yowled in his deep voice, "Eaglewings, Eaglewings, Eaglewings!" Then her friends joined in. Slowly, the clan began to chant as well. Though many did not join, it didn't seem to matter to Eaglewings, who beamed at Brightsun and Darkmoon brightly.

Stormstar said something to Eaglewings which caused him to nod and leap down to join Brightsun and Darkmoon. Brightsun playfully batted at his ear.

"Congrats on becoming a warrior, furball!"

Eaglewings laughed. "Thanks, Brightsun. It is an honor to be part of this noble clan."

Darkmoon rolled his eyes. "Good StarClan, if you start ranting about how great our clan is, I will personally shove mouse bile down your throat."

"I bet that tastes better than the crowfood I used to eat."

Suddenly, Dappleheart rushed out of her den. It suddenly occurred to Brightsun that she hadn't seen the brown calico she-cat when Eaglewings had become a warrior.

"Stormstar! I bring a message from StarClan!" Dappleheart called to the retreating shape of Stormstar.

"What is it, Dappleheart?" Stormstar asked.

"They told me that we had three of the cats of the prophecy, but we needed the last one. The one who lies in WindClan." Dappleheart replied.

"Who are these cats?"

Dappleheart glanced at where Brightsun stood with Darkmoon and Eaglewings. "Perhaps we should bring those three into your den. And discuss things there."

Stormstar followed her gaze and nodded. Without needing a signal, the three young cats followed their leader into her den with Dappleheart behind. Once they were all comfortably settled, Dappleheart began again.

"This only makes sense for these three to be part of the prophecy. It mentions the sun and moon. These two cats are the only ones in any clan with those names. Not to mention darkness and bright one. That's definitely Darkmoon and Brightsun. Eaglewings has to be the one who flies over the imaginative river. He has wings, for starters. And he's the only cat with that eagle part that I know of."

"So what about the river part, Dappleheart? Who is that?"

Dappleheart stared at Stormstar. "You don't remember Breezestar's mate? Her name is Riverholly. The only WindClan cat to posses that name."

Brightsun carefully watched her leader process this. The gray she-cat carefully unsheathed her claws. She tapped them on the ground, and finally looked up.

"Tomorrow, you and I will go to WindClan camp, and request that Riverholly come with us, so you can begin your quest. We'll have to explain all of this to both Breezestar and Riverholly. Hopefully, Breezestar will let her go. I get that his kits were stolen, but this quest will save us all. If he can't realize this, there will be war."

Darkmoon shared a look with Brightsun. His concern for their leader was filtered carefully through his eyes to her.

Brightsun cleared her throat, bringing Stormstars eyes back to her. "Stormstar, Breezestar seemed pretty smart and thoughtful. I don't think it will be necessary to go to war."

Stormstar cast a dark look towards Brightsun. "Breezestars kits were stolen just before you were found. It crushed him and his mate. Breezestar vowed vengeance for his kits, and has kept the nursery well guarded since. He loves his mate dearly, and would give all of his lives to protect her. He is extremely protective of her. Do you really think he'd be thinking correctly if we came strolling into his camp, and told him we needed Riverholly?"

Brightsun bit back a stream of protests, and quietly rejoined Darkmoon, who wrapped his tail around her own.

Dappleheart sighed. "How about you three go on a border patrol or something. Get out of the camp for awhile."

Brightsun nodded and headed out towards the sun. As she expected, Lakeheart was waiting for her.

"Why were you in there?" he asked, wordlessly joining their patrol.

"Long story." Brightsun explained.

Lakeheart said nothing as they approached the WindClan border. Brightsun glanced at Eaglewings who was sniffing at the air and making weird faces.

"What's the matter? You look like you swallowed some mouse bile." Lakeheart asked him.

Eaglewing glanced at Lakeheart. "I know that scent. That's all."

Lakeheart frowned. "What, WindClan scent? Those old rabbit heads live over there, and are cowards in my opinion."

Eaglewing sighed. "Never mind."

Brightsun and Darkmoon shared a look. There was something that was becoming clearer the more they talked to the strange hybrid. Eaglewing sighed as he stretched out his large wings, flapping them slightly to air them.

"You can fly with those?" Lakeheart said, already knowing the answer.

"Yep. They're getting bigger. Soon, I'll be able to carry myself and another cat. Boy, that'll be useful."

Lakeheart studied him. "How old are you?"

"Eight moons, I think. Younger than you guys."

Silence. Lakeheart ended up heading back to camp, leaving the three of them to talk. The stars were starting to come out, causing Brightsun to suggest they stargaze. Eaglewings took to the idea eagerly, and began to point out shapes that he saw.

Eaglewings sighed, smiling faintly. "I wonder if every warrior in StarClan has someone else. Someone they love."

"Why do you wonder that?" Darkmoon asked, look up. The three cats were laying in a triangle.

"Because if its true what Goldenlily said, everyone has a significant other. I hope I find my other half someday. Course, it's not likely, cause of my wings. But it's nice to dream."

"You'll find someone, Eaglewings. I know it." Brightsun found herself saying.

The three cats continued stargazing, until Darkmoon finally said they needed rest. They entered the camp, and after a moment's hesitation from Eaglewing, entered the warriors den. Knowing that the clan was still pretty hostile to him, Darkmoon made him a bed near the two of them.

…

Meanwhile, in the medicine cat den, Robinkit sighed. He was tired of having this confusion. Half of him wanted to intertwin his tail with Brightsun, and the other half wanted to brutally kill her for leaving him. As if reading his thoughts, his mother, Flowerwing, approached him with some mouse bile.

"You know, she didn't leave you. The Pure Ones kitnapped you, and there was nothing she could do. Nothing I could do, and I had warrior training. They were too strong, and there were too many." she meowed.

Robinkit sat up. "You got knock out," he said, suddenly remembering. "You have an excuse."

"She was a kit, like you Robinkit. She had no training, like she does now. She'd be able to deal with them now."

Robinkit fell silent as his mother began to search for ticks and fleas. He heard a crunch as she bit down on one. She was the only one other than Dappleheart who seemed completely at ease around him, not at all worried that he would kill them.

And somewhere, he knew he truly wouldn't. The memories of them were good, like the time Dappleheart had taken a thorn out of his pad. His mother had kept him and his sisters safe and happy. Those were all good memories.

"Can I become an apprentice, or do I have to remain as 'Robinkit' for the rest of my life." he asked.

"Depends on whether or not you feel better. Would you like to help Dappleheart and me organize herbs? Might help."

Robinkit nodded. He followed his mother over to where Dappleheart was sorting. The brown calico looked up and smiled.

"Robinkit, great to see you up and about."

"Can I help sort?" he asked, nodding towards the herbs.

Dappleheart's smile widened. "Of course. Just let me tell you which one is which."

And so, as Brightsun, Darkmoon and Eaglewings slept, Robinkit helped with sorting herbs. For the first time in it seemed like forever, Robinkit felt at ease. The herbs smelled good, and his thoughts cleared as he did the task. Perhaps he should volunteer more often. After all, if it made him calm, perhaps he could figure out what really happened the night he joined the Pure Ones.

**A/N**

_**This chapter took forever. 14 ruddy pages. You better like this. I felt that we needed a POV (Point Of View) of what Robinkit's going through, so I added him in the end cause why not? Some deep stuff is happening. LET'S SEE HOW WELL YOU'LL PICK UP ON MY LITTLE HIDDEN SECRETS! :D**_


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:** _Our Ancient Ways_

The next morning, Brightsun, Darkmoon and Eaglewings went with Dappleheart and Stormstar to WindClan camp. Oddly enough, they met no border patrols, although there was a strong reek of WindClan.

When they entered the camp, there were yowls of warning from the guards. Brightsun saw the familiar face of Gatorpelt and Falconpaw. Strangely enough, as she entered the camp with her clan leader and medicine cat, not to mention her friends, she felt completely at ease.

Eaglewings, who stood beside her, was sniffing the air and frowning, as if something upset him. He kept ruffling his wings uneasily, which brought more stares from cats. Breezestar, who was lounging on a rock higher than others, sat up as they approached.

"Stormstar," he greeted, his tone not hostile, though not too kind. "May I ask why you and a few of your warriors and your medicine cat have decided to grace my clan with your presence?"

"You may, but I cannot answer until we talk in your den. Before you say anything, keep in mind that what must be said involves a bit more personal information that I would rather decided how to deal with it later." Stormstar replied.

Breezestar rose. "Very well then. Keep in mind my mate is trying to rest right now. So lets keep our voices down."

"Breezestar, this unfortunately concerns her as well."

Wordlessly, Breezestar motioned with his tail for Stormstar to follow. Darkmoon followed ahead, completely calm, and Brightsun trailed after him. Eaglewings followed after a moment's hesitation.

Once inside the small cave, Breezestar went over to the sleeping form of a she-cat. He nudged her gently, murmuring something. She rose, revealing that she had a black pelt and yellow eyes. She was small, with thin fur and a torn ear on the left side.

"Speak now, Stormstar." Breezestar ordered.

Stormstar flicked her ear in irritation. "You are aware of the prophecy we received at the last Gathering, correct?"

"How could I not?"

"We think we've found the four cats that are part of this quest. All of them are currently in this den."

Breezestar narrowed his eyes at the sight of where Darkmoon, Brightsun and a shrinking Eaglewings sat. "These three, I'm assuming? You're short one cat, Stormstar."

"Oh, she's here alright. Riverholly is the fourth cat. The river in which the eagle flies over."

"What are your names, young warriors?" Breezestar asked.

"I'm Darkmoon," Darkmoon begin. "The she-cat next to me is Brightsun and the cat with wings is Eaglewings."

Breezestar nodded thoughtfully. "I remember you two, but Eaglewings is new to me. Tell me, who are your parents, young cat?"

Eaglewings gulped. "I don't know, sir. I grew up in the Pure Ones camp, was trained by a ShadowClan spy, and escaped into ThunderClan territory. I recently just became a warrior. I cannot answer why I have wings sir, so please do not ask."

Riverholly rose tentatively, as if she was frail enough to break at the slightest breeze. She approached the shaking Eaglewings, bending enough to look at his face, which was looking down.

"Is that you, my winged kit?" she whispered.

Eaglewings slowly raised his head, looking up. He suddenly lurched forward and pressed his nose in her fur, inhaling deeply. Brightsun noted that Breezestar had unsheathed his claws. Slowly, Eaglewings stepped away, tears in his eyes. "M-mother?"

There was a blur of black, brown and white as the two cats shared an odd embrace, Riverholly brushing her head and neck against her son's own neck and head, and Eaglewings wings swinging forward and wrapping around her.

"I thought you were gone for good, my precious kit! Thank StarClan, I was wrong." Riverholly meowed.

Breezestar, who has tensed at this exchange, approached the two cautiously, his claws partially sheathed. "Riverholly?"

Riverholly moved away a little, and turned to face her mate. "Breezestar, its one of our long lost kits. Do you not remember the smallest of our litter, born special with wings and a coat of white and dark brown?"

"I saw them only twice, my love. But if you say he is one of ours, then I believe you."

Stormstar cleared her throat. "I'm glad we have found one of your kits, Breezestar. Normally, I wouldn't want to break up such a , but we really must be getting on to more important matters. I'm not saying that this is important, but it can wait."

Breezestar opened his mouth, probably a stream of retorts on his tongue, but was stopped as Riverholly approached him, nuzzling his chest.

"It is alright, my love. This is more important than what we can do later. Let us hear what we need to do."

Dappleheart at this point, stepped forward. "We do not know where the four of you must go, we just know these four are to go on a quest, and possibly get help from some sort of friend to defeat the Pure Ones."

Eaglewings coughed. Dappleheart looked pointedly at him. "What is it? I know a true cough when I hear one."

"I may or may not have received a dream from StarClan telling me they'd guide us to the flames." he mumbled.

"I believe in StarClan as much as the next cat, but aren't flames bad for us as it is? Fire destroys." Darkmoon said.

"And yet," Brightsun found herself saying. "Firestar saved the clans, and served his clan for many moons until his death. It's probably not real fire."

"You are smart, young one." Breezestar meowed, nodding.

Stormstar glanced at Brightsun warmly, then turned her gaze back to Breezestar. "So we will meet again in two sunrises at the border. With your permission, of course?"

Breezestar looked at Riverholly, unsure. She nodded, providing all he needed to make his decision. "Yes, Riverholly may go on this quest and help save our clans." he paused. "I have just one question for you."

"Go on." Stormstar meowed.

"Shouldn't the other two clans be on this?"

Brightsun suddenly had an idea. "I think StarClan is trying to heal the old rift between WindClan and ThunderClan back when Onestar decided to act more hostile towards ThunderClan once Tallstar died."

All the cats stared at her. She felt herself straighten up. "I'm serious. Maybe they think WindClan and ThunderClan should form some sort of alliance, so we can help one another in times of great need."

"That," Breezestar meowed. "Is not a bad idea, actually. No cats ever thought that way before, and if they did, they kept their muzzles shut." he smiled. "I half wish you ended up on my border. You would've made a fine WindClan warrior. I've seen you run."

Brightsun shrugged. "I wouldn't be able to run that fast if it weren't for Darkmoon. He taught me how to be a warrior."

Breezestar rose and padded out of the den. Riverholly followed, motioning for them to follow her. Once her eyes were no longer blinded by the sun, she could see cats all gathered around, although she hadn't heard Breezestar yowl.

"As you have all probably wondered why, Stormstar and her warriors had news to share with us. As you may recall, the prophecy that was shared with all the clans at the gathering talked about a bright one, a dark one, the moon and the sun. And an eagle and river. ThunderClan has found three of these cats, and the fourth one lies in our own clan. Riverholly will be meeting these three," Breezestar motioned with his tail to Darkmoon, Eaglewings and Brightsun. "At the border two sunrises from now. That is one piece of news out of the way. Now here's the other one."

Breezestar took a deep breath. "As many of you know, during a terrible storm, eight moons ago, Riverholly and I had our kits stolen from us by the Pure Ones. It is by the grace of StarClan, a spy from ShadowClan and the kindness of ThunderClan that one of our kits has returned! We welcome Eaglewings, we welcome my son back home!"

Yowls of excitement and happiness echoed throughout the camp. Cats everywhere were so happy to have at least one of the leaders kits back. But Brightsun glanced back at Stormstar and Eaglewings. One had the expression of anger. The other, was a bit shocked.

"Now wait just a minute, Breezestar." Stormstar said, approaching him. "You can't just take one of my warriors and claim him as your own. He may be your son, but he's _my_ warrior."

Breezestar began to bristle. "My son was kitnapped, and taken away. He was born right here, in _WindClan_, therefore he is WindClan! You will return my son, or find another way to solve our Pure One problem!"

"Why don't we let Eaglewings choose?" Dappleheart said suddenly. "He is old enough to make such a decision, in my opinion. It's not like when Brightsun was taken into ThunderClan. He has the right to choose."

"I quite agree." Riverholly meowed. "Let him decide."

Breezestar looked at Eaglewings, who seemed to be trying to sink into the ground. He adjusted his wings and tried to straighten up. It was several mousebeats until he finally spoke.

"I understand that here, I would be much more accepted than in ThunderClan. I'd be able to see the sky a lot better, and fly more often. I understand that I'd be able to return to my birth clan, and get the life I never got to have." Breezestar's gaze began to harden as he realized what his son was saying.

"I get that I'd probably have a more respected life, and I'd finally have my parents back, after the eight moons of missing them. But...I really was starting like ThunderClan. The two cats who found me; Darkmoon and Brightsun, have become my friends. When Stormstar made me a warrior, Brightsun was the first one who started chanting. Dappleheart protected me when others tried to hurt me, and nursed me back to how I am now. Flowerwing treated me like I was her own son, and taught me a few things. Even Robinkit gave me a perspective on life, telling me in one of his better days that I should never look at the dark side of things. I have wings that can carry me into the sun. I've learned so much from my adoptive clan. And though things could always be better...I like the way things are now. I don't need to be loved, or known, or respected by all to call a clan my home. I need my real friends to make me feel welcomed and make me feel loved. And though I know I could achieve all that here, I see no reason to move my paws from where they are now."

Several murmurs erupted from the clan. Breezestar flicked his ear in anger.

"Quiet, QUIET!" he said, getting louder on the last word. The clan fell silent. He glared at Eaglewings. "Did _they_ put you up to this? To reject your true clan? You know, they'll never accept you if you go back there. I'm offering you to return to your true home, and you're just going to throw that all away?"

Eaglewings straighten. "No, I chose on my own to return to the clan I've come to call home. I love you father, it's just I know where I belong, even if others don't accept me for who I am."

Breezestar bristled. "Very well then. I can't say I approve your choice, or really understand it, but I will accept it."

Riverholly stepped forward to her son and gave him one last embrace. "I shall see you in two sunrises, my son. Keep safe until then."

On the way out of camp, they were escorted by Gatorpelt, another warrior named Cloudeyes, Gorsetail and Falconpaw.

"So are you still an apprentice, Falconpaw?" she asked.

He flicked his ear in surprise. "I didn't think you cared. Nah, my name's Falconheart. Are you still Brightpaw?"

"Brightsun." she replied, smiling faintly.

They came to the border, where Starkfeather and Lakeheart were waiting. Lakeheart's ears pricked when he saw them. Starkfeather merely flicked her tail, getting to her paws.

"Glad they didn't shred you," he murmured, brushing his pelt against Brightsun as she came over. She stiffened, turning away and joining Darkmoon.

Falconheart laughed. "Looks like you just got rejected by a she-cat. Glad to know WindClan isn't the only one."

Gatorpelt cuffed his head. "Be respectful, or I'll set you on apprentice duties for two moons."

Falconheart rubbed his head, glaring at Gatorpelt. "I was just teasing, like I would to any tom my age in _WindClan_."

"May I remind you they're ThunderClan."

"Yeah, well they seem to be a lot like us. Maybe we have our differences, but in a sense we're the same."

Gatorpelt shook his head. "First you call them pinecone morons, and now you consider them your own clanmates? Falconheart, I think your head is full of fluff."

Starkfeather turned to him. "I think you're right about that. We _do_ seem alike."

Falconheart grinned. "See? Even a ThunderClan she-cat agrees! Maybe your head's full of fluff."

Gatorpelt cuffed him, this time lightly. "C'mon fluff-head. Let's go back to camp. Good day to you, Stormstar."

Stormstar nodded. "Good day to you too, Gatorpelt. May your clan find enough food to make them strong during this hard time."

Brightsun watched the WindClan patrol head back, getting tinier and tinier as they went to their own camp. Beside her, Darkmoon sighed.

"Who'd know we'd find out Eaglewings was WindClan originally?" he said.

"Not me, that's for sure." Brightsun replied.

"Well, it does explain the wings." Dappleheart said, stretching.

"How?" Brightsun turned to her and cocked her head.

"Long ago, it's said that WindClan warriors met some sort of power, greater than even StarClan. They asked if they could help this creature, and it said they could. They had to bring back birds, of all shapes and sizes. Alive. Once they'd done this, the creature told them that the clan would be blessed to have cats born with wings every so hundred years. And only when a great danger was coming."

"There were no cats with wings reported to be living during the Dark Forest war though." Darkmoon meowed. "Not important enough?"

Dappleheart chuckled and licked her paw, swiping it over her ear. "More like the winged cats were sent away. Over time, WindClan forgot the winged cats were gifts from that creature. They exiled them, ordering them to stay far away. Winged cats live ten times longer than any normal cat. There's probably a bunch out there, exiled."

They were now walking through the woods, heading back to camp.

Eaglewings looked at her. "So wait, why wasn't I exiled?"

"Your mother loved her kits as much as any mother would, but your father especially loved your mother. He let her keep you, because you made her happy. When you and your siblings were stolen, Breezestar asked the other clan leaders to search for you. It took four moons for him to finally accept that you probably weren't coming back." Dappleheart replied.

Darkmoon gently curled the tip of his tail around Brightsuns. "I remember looking. At the time, I'd had seven moons of training. Then I found you. You weren't exactly what I was looking for, but you were a kit. I took you to the clan, thinking that you probably wouldn't make it. You were so much smaller than me. Owleyes was the first one who went out to look for me. I'd taken you to a hollow tree, and curled around you just to warm you up. When she came, we finally took you back to camp."

"I never knew about that." she meowed, feeling her cheeks grow warm.

"That's cause we're the only ones who knew. Now these cats know."

The patrol entered the camp, and Starkfeather sighed. She joined Silversky, who was with Nettleclaw, as it always seemed these days.

"Want to join them?" Darkmoon nodded in the direction of Silversky, Nettleclaw and Starkfeather.

Brightsun shrugged. "Sure."

The walked to the group, which was talking about the Pure Ones.

"I mean seriously," Nettleclaw was saying as the padded over and layed down. "It's been so many moons, I don't think even the elders quite remember what peace feels like."

"Dappleheart says she was alive during that time." Silversky pointed out.

"Dappleheart was a young apprentice back then. She was the apprentice of Deeplake." Nettleclaw meowed.

"She doesn't look _that_ old." Starkfeather meowed. "She looks younger than Stormstar…."

"She aged well. It's been known to happen. Take a look at the way cats describe Spottedleaf." Darkmoon meowed.

Nettleclaw nodded. "Yeah, I suppose that does make more sense now. But back to what we were previously talking about. Why are they so concerned with pure blood?"

"I doubt anyone will know until the end of this war. Besides, I'd rather focus on more important things right now." Darkmoon flicked his tail at a nearby fly buzzing around Brightsuns ear.

Nettleclaw smiled. "Is that official, or are you just friends?"

Darkmoon shrugged. "Dunno. Still trying to figure it out."

…

Brightsun raced after Darkmoon. His dark pelt was hard to identify among the shadows. Finally, she saw a bit of motion. She increased her speed and leaped ahead of the shape, to where it was about to appear. She felt the dark shape she was now on top of, stumble and fall.

They rolled around a bit before finally Brightsun laid on top of Darkmoon. She was smiling and breathing heavily, Darkmoon breathing at the same time as her. Darkmoon gently intertwined his tail with hers. Brightsun hesitantly leaned forward to touch noses with him.

A couple of fox-beats later, Darkmoon was laying next to her on his side, looking at her. She was smiling and so was he, faintly.

"So were you just saying that to Nettleclaw, or do you really not know?" Brightsun asked softly.

Darkmoon reached his paw over to put it on her shoulder. "Most of the time...I'm not sure," he said quietly. "But then there are moments like this when I'm more certain."

Both cats leaned forward and touched foreheads, looking at each other in the eye for a mouse beat, then closing their eyes.

…

Back at camp, Eaglewings sat with Robinkit outside. He was explaining how to stargaze at the entrance to the medicine cat den.

"See, what you do is, you just lay on your back and look at the stars. Then you see if you can see any interesting shapes." Eaglewings meowed.

Robinkit stared at him. "That sounds mouse brained."

"Well we can stargaze, or I can tell Dappleheart you're outside without a guard…" Eaglewings shrugged.

"Okay, okay. We'll stargaze. Jeez." Robinkit meowed hastily.

Eaglewings smiled faintly. He looked up at the sky, seeing Robinkit copy his movements out of the corner of his eye. He kept watching Robinkit, seeing what he'd do. He nearly jumped out of his fur when Robinkit jumped up.

"Look!" He exclaimed, pointing up with his paw, and tracing a shape that resembled a cat with wings.

As the night drew on, Eaglewings smiled. He was thinking of his parents, and of Robinkit. He thought of the traditions that cats had developed over the years. One of the things he remembered, was WindClan love of the meadows and fields. RiverClans talent with swimming. ShadowClan's love of the darkness. And ThunderClan's powerful acceptance of others who were different.

Eaglewings was proud to be a ThunderClan warrior, even if others didn't like him. He was perfectly content with having a few true friends, than having a bunch of fake ones. And when Lakeheart approached him and asked what they were doing, he happily allowed the blue tom to join them in stargazing.

…

Far away, a she-cat reentered her clan's camp. She paused for a moment, looking up at the tom who hopped down from a nearby tree. She sighed, and looked at him in defeat. He was tall, with varying shades of red and white on his pelt. He had dark green eyes, and scars almost everywhere.

"Why did you take her, Sunrose? She could've grown up here, instead of there." he meowed.

Sunrose lowered her eyes. "StarClan told me her destiny could not be fulfilled here. Besides, I could not bear to think of her growing up under another she-cat. And I did not want to leave my position as medicine cat to our clan either."

The tom wrapped himself around her. "As your clan leader, you know I could've worked something out for her, Sunrose. As your mate and her father, I could've made things better."

Sunrose sighed. "I know Emberstar, but her destiny could not be fulfilled her."

Emberstar nuzzled Sunrose. "I missed you. You've been gone for ten moons."

"I've missed you too, Emberstar."

Emberstar licked her cheek. "So what now?"

Sunrose sighed, looking into his eyes. "We wait for a destiny to be fulfilled."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: **_A Quest Begins_

Brightsun yawned as she followed Darkmoon through ThunderClan territory to the border they shared with WindClan. The sun had barely risen, and she'd had to gulp down a mouse or go hungry for the remainder of the morning. It had been two sunrises since the meeting with WindClan, and she was anxious to get going.

Eaglewings kept going ahead of them, occasionally flapping his wings as he leaped to the lowest of branches. He waited until Darkmoon and Brightsun had caught up, allowed them to go ahead of him, then glided back down to the ground where he nipped playfully at their heads. Brightsun yelped, and Darkmoon just rolled his eyes, although he was faintly smiling as he watched Eaglewings zoom ahead, looking behind him to stick out his tongue.

Darkmoon ran ahead, and as Eaglewings landed, he tackled him, playfully batting at him with his paws.

"Ack! Okay, okay, you win! I'll stay on the ground." Eaglewings meowed, laughing.

Darkmoon smiled, whiskers twitching. "Good. Now let's try to act like warriors here, instead of apprentices out on their first day."

They soon came upon the border, where Riverholly and Breezestar waited. Riverholly and Eaglewings touched noses as a greeting, while Breezestar watched fondly.

"How long do you suspect you four will be gone to get help?" he asked Darkmoon.

Darkmoon shrugged. "Dunno. Might take us moons, for all I know. We're going a long ways out."

"Well, if you wish, I will tell you of the clan I think you're trying to find. Our oldest elder; Applefrost, heard the stories from her mother moons ago. She said that there was once a clan that stemmed from a rogue by the name of Blaze. She created a clan, named after the tongues of heat that spread when lighting strikes dry grass. The clan is known for it's loyalty, and said to have aided Firestar in great times of need. Perhaps that is what this quest will lead you to." Breezestar meowed.

Darkmoon dipped his head in thanks. "Perhaps. But let us not dawdle, it's time for us to go. We're wasting precious sunlight."

Riverholly licked Breezestar's cheek. "I will see you again, someday."

"Come back safely, is all I ask." the white tom meowed softly.

Riverholly nodded, and turned to the three young cats, and the four cats set out, heading first towards the mountains. Once there, they would go left from the Twoleg place. They trusted StarClan to lead their paws to the right place.

…

Back in ThunderClan camp, Robinkit growled softly to himself as he raked his claws against rock. Now that Eaglewings had left with Brightsun and Darkmoon, no one would dare to come near him, especially with the guard he had. The gray tom with forest green eyes regarded him coldly at every opportunity, constantly eying him as if he was some sort of criminal.

_Perhaps I am_ Robinkit thought to himself. He no longer had the constant blood rush of wanting to kill every ThunderClan cat he could, but he did have the occasional spurts. Eaglewings had always treated him like an equal, and never ever showed any signs of fear like some of the others did.

"Robinkit, may I speak to you?" Dappleheart meowed softly as she padded forward.

He flicked his tail crossly. "Well, I don't suppose I have much choice, now do I?"

"You always have a choice with me, Robinkit. You don't have to talk right now, if you don't want to." the she-cat said gently.

He glared at her for a minute, then sighed. Whatever she was going to talk to him about, it was probably going to be better than sitting in the back of the medicine cat den with a guard who glared at him constantly.

"Go ahead, before I change my mind." he muttered.

He watched her sit, and curl her tail around her paws before speaking again. "Eaglewings told me this morning that you had mentioned to him that you wanted to train as a medicine cat, so that you could heal the damage you've done to others."

Robinkit resisted the urge to curse his friend. He'd told him this upon serve questioning, deciding the he no longer wished to learn how to fight incase he lost control and killed some cat by accident. At least if he lost control with training to be a medicine cat, he'd lose control on herbs, not cats.

"Yes," he meowed curtly. "I'd much rather shred herbs than fur if I went into one of my rages."

Dappleheart didn't laugh, but merely nodded in agreement. "Very well then. I will speak to Stormstar, to see if she will allow me to train you."

The she-cat rose, and began to walk away, but before she got out of earshot, she meowed softly to Robinkit, "I don't think you're a monster, like the others do. You're just a little lost. You'll find your place again, someday."

**A/N**

_**Sorry for the delay of this chapter, I had writers block with it, and finally got back into the swing of things with this, while BATO 2 is on hold. I think I'm just gonna just work on one story for now. Hope you all liked this really short chapter. If you like this, then check out some of my other stories. I've been told they're good.**_


End file.
